Because 1) no one else has a plan, 2) Trump’s plan is likely to work, 3) the EU would screw it up.
Handling Ukraine is one of the things I was confident that Trump would get right. So far, it’s going very well.
Armchair Generals
Eurointelligence has some comments along those lines in its post Another Munich? Really?
The trouble with the armchair generals that have been leading the commentary in the Ukraine war in the western media, is the reduction to moral posturing. At no point have those who supported weapons deliveries for Ukraine present a costed plan of how to achieve victory. They were hiding behind red lines and the empty slogan that we would help Ukraine for as long as it takes. Not only was there no plan for victory. There was also no plan for second-best outcomes.
The armchair generals include the vast majority of people who attend the Munich Security Conference today, and who hyperventilate about issues whether Europeans should sit at the table. The absurdity of Europe’s position on Ukraine was underlined once again by [German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz when he said that he would reject a peace by diktat. And then he added in the next sentence, that policy goals must always be for Germany not to be engaged in a war. He is having his war, and eating it.
It is logical that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin settle this because there would be no settlement if Kaja Kallas [European Commission Vice President] sits at the table. The criticism by the Europeans that Trump gave too much away at the outset is also difficult to take seriously. It was Germany, along with the US, that persistently vetoed Ukraine’s accession to NATO. It is a bit rich for the German defense minister to claim that this issue should have been on the table. And of course, Ukraine will lose land as part of the settlement. Peace deals reflect the military situation on the grounds.
Angela Merkel already said it in 2017 that Europe needed to take its security in its own hands. As ever when confronted with a hard and a soft option, the Europeans chose the soft one. Europeans are the geopolitical equivalent of the righteous welfare recipient, always making demands, and hiding behind others.
Vance on Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal comments Vance Wields Threat of Sanctions, Military Action to Push Putin Into Ukraine Deal
“There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” the U.S. could use against Putin, Vance said. “There’s a whole host of things that we could do. But fundamentally, I think the president wants to have a productive negotiation, both with Putin and with Zelensky.”
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal hours after Trump said he would start negotiating with Putin to end the war in Ukraine, Vance said: “I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people.”
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that Ukraine would be a party to talks with Russia, a key demand of Zelensky’s. But Trump also said that Russia should be allowed back into the Group of Seven club of wealthy countries and that membership for Ukraine in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was something Russia couldn’t allow.
On Ukraine, Vance said it was too early to say how much of the country’s territory would remain in Russian hands or what security guarantees the U.S. and other Western allies could offer Kyiv. He said those details would need to be worked out in the peace talks.
WSJ Editorial Board Comments
The WSJ editorial board gets it wrong with Peace Through Weakness in Ukraine?
President Trump has begun his promised effort to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and the initial signs are discouraging. He’s making concessions to Vladimir Putin without anything in return, and he’s informing Ukraine after the fact. Does Mr. Trump want to negotiate peace with honor that will last, or peace through weakness that will reward the Kremlin?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Ukraine couldn’t join NATO and that returning to its borders before Russia’s first invasion in 2014 is “unrealistic.” Mr. Hegseth walked back his NATO point on Thursday, saying Mr. Trump would decide the question. But the President then said he liked Mr. Hegseth’s original statement.
Mr. Hegseth tried to reassure Europe by saying “a durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.” But then he put the onus on “capable European and non-European troops,” with no U.S. troops. Where those non-European troops would come from is a mystery, and perhaps a mirage.
The risk here is that deterrence isn’t divisible. Mr. Trump is wrong if he thinks letting Russia dominate Ukraine will result in less U.S. involvement in Europe or enhance deterrence in the Pacific. The U.S. will end up spending far more on defense and deploying more troops in Europe to defend Poland, the Baltic states, and NATO commitments. If he abandons Ukraine, he’ll soon find that China is even more emboldened to take Taiwan.
Mercy!
The WSJ editorial board would fund Ukraine forever, risking WW III.
And since the WSJ understands correctly that Europe won’t do a thing, the mystery is why the WSJ cannot see that means everything would fall on the shoulders of US.
The WSJ is consistent, wanting more money for Ukraine, and tax cuts that don’t pay for themselves, while howling about the need for a balanced budget, without ever giving a serious proposal on how to get there.
European Emergency Summit
In response to the US proposals, European Leaders Will Hold Emergency Summit on Ukraine
The continent has been scrambling to respond after US President Donald Trump announced negotiations would begin “immediately” on ending the conflict following a phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Trump’s Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg saying Europe would not be involved.
The summit was confirmed by the Elysée Palace, which said French President Emmanuel Macron would hold an “informal” meeting Monday with “the heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of NATO.”
The European diplomatic efforts come after new US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth, speaking in Brussels on Wednesday, said it was unrealistic that Kyiv should join NATO or return to its pre-2014 sovereign borders – an apparent break with Washington’s previous stance and one that critics said gave key concessions to Putin before talks even began.
A day later, Hegseth hedged on those comments, saying “everything is on the table” in negotiations between the two countries. US Vice President JD Vance also warned Thursday the US could hit Russia with economic and military “tools of leverage” if Moscow doesn’t negotiate a peace deal in good faith.
Kellogg said in Munich that Ukraine would be at the table for peace negotiations. But while other European governments’ positions would be taken into consideration, Kellogg said, they would not be participants.
Trump’s call with Putin and the push to work with Russia have also raised Ukrainian fears of being excluded from talks deciding the fate of their own country. Zelensky in recent days lamented that the US president spoke with Putin before him.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on stage at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky conceded that he was “not happy” that Trump’s first call was with Putin. The Ukrainian leader warned that it would be even “more dangerous” however if Trump meets in person with the Russian president before him.
Europe Deserves to Be Excluded
Europe has no plan, offers no money and no troops. Eurointelligence summed up everything nicely in a single sentence: It is logical that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin settle this because there would be no settlement if Kaja Kallas [European Commission Vice President] sits at the table.
Bear in mind, Eurointelligence is very pro-Europe. So it’s telling when they come up with a statement like that.
All Europe would do is side with Ukraine while demanding the US pay the bill.
In short, it would be counterproductive for Europe to be at the table. Trump is smart enough to realize this.
One Option for Zelensky
Zelensky has one option. That option is to go along with whatever Trump and Putin come up with as fair.
If Zelensky disagrees, the US will stop sending money and weapons to Ukraine. Then it would be up to Europe to stop Ukraine.
Related Posts
February 12, 2025: Trump Will Talk with Putin on a Peace Deal, No NATO for Ukraine
By applying pressure on both sides, I expect Trump will succeed on a good deal.
February 12, 2025: Senate Confirms Tulsi Gabbard as Head of Intelligence With McConnell Voting No
Tulsi is a good choice. We should all wish her well. Looking ahead, I have some interesting ideas.
February 14, 2025: German Elections Feb 23 – Only One Coalition Makes Sense (But No One Wants It)
All of the other parties have ruled out working with AfD. But no other coalition makes any sense. Disaster looms.
Reflections on Vance
Vance is an excellent speaker and is not afraid to tell Europe how it is.
I had strong reservations on Vance as VP, and no doubt I will disagree on many things, especially tariffs.
But in handling Europe, Vance has been amazing. Well done. The EU nannycrats desperately needed shock therapy, and Vance delivered.
For discussion, please consider Vance Shocks Europe by Supporting AfD and Blasting EU’s Lack of Free Speech
Vice President J.D. Vance took off the gloves in Europe. Many European leaders are shocked. Good!
Trump is nuts and should be removed, by whatever means necessary.
You mean, like, by being voted out of office, right, since Impeachment is out of the question for the next couple of years.
Your #“1).” Should have read: “Because no European leader has the guts to talk with the Russians about ending the war.” It was also interesting to see how quickly Macron held his “continue the war summit”, which again shows why the U.S. had to lead the effort.
The emissaries of the United States have made their position clear: Europe has been demoted from “partner” to “adversary.” Not what we wanted, but lesson learned.
I extend my thanks to Mr. Trump for forcing Europe to fully grasp a fundamental truth: if we do not assert our own interests, someone else will—and not necessarily to our benefit. This should have been obvious long ago.
As for Mr. Trump’s so-called peace-in-24-hours-plan, there is none. He can wield economic and political leverage, but in the end, only one man decides whether 40+ million Ukrainians remain caught in the crossfire of imperial ambition: Vladimir Putin. The only real decision Mr. Trump can make is whether to cut off aid and watch Ukraine fight on alone, resisting a brutal assault that will not cease simply because Washington wishes it so.
To those who dismiss the Ukrainian people as pawns without agency or NPC’s —understand this: they will never submit to serfdom under Putin. Unlike those subjugated within the Russian Federation, they have fought for their sovereignty, and they will continue to do so—with or without external support. The taste of freedom is too sweet to be surrendered.
The great decoupling has begun. And frankly, it was overdue. I have no desire for Europe to remain aligned with a state sliding into theocratic, nationalist populist, CEO-executive-order autocracy. If this is the new reality, then so be it—Europe will adapt and take full control of its own destiny. The great decoupling has been initiated!
but the really important thing is Europe can continue to arrest people for memes.
yes you posting memes which incite violence or degrade the personal integrity of an individual or call for harming a person … has consequences…. in most cases monetary only. .. what does this have to do with the for mentioned. political discourse is not limited in any way….
How would Europe pay for that? The continent appears to be one big amusement park, and the EU operates like a herd of cats. I think (or, maybe it’s more-so hope) that the Russians have had enough and will take the Russian parts of the Ukraine, declare victory, and go home.
I predicted that the word “surrender” would be the trendy new word thrown at Mr. Trump, I haven’t seen it yet (but I saw “concessions”).
I have never been as happy to be wrong as when I thought negatively about JD getting the VP nod over Tulsi. At the time I was not very familiar with him – he’s turned out better than great.
“Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Without the EU?”
I would guess because the war was never between Russia and Ukraine. It was between the Russia and the U.S. Ukraine was simply a proxy. Way back in 2014, Nuland said F the EU, in a discussion with the U.S. ambassador on the change in Ukraine’s government. Yats was our guy, according to the conversation. After 9/11, was the 7 governments to be overthrown in 5 years plan, according to General Wesley Clark. It didn’t happen in 5 years, but Iran is the only one left on the list. ZH headline: “Netanyahu to Rubio, ‘let’s finish the job’ against Iran”
Trump is paving the way for a new world order. Vance will be a good president if he stays the course. He will benefit from what Trump sowed. Volatility will flip to tranquility, under Vance.
DOGE found there are almost 15 million people age 110 and above in the social security database – seems like voter fraud could be a thing
NATO means Europe is the US cannon fodder in case of war with Russia. Since the war in the Ukraine is between Russia and the US, with NATO plus the Ukraine as cannon fodder of the latter, it stands to reason that only the main warring parties settle the conflict. As such settlements go, the party that’s winning sets the terms. That is, Russia will set the terms.
No. It was the “Biden Regime” vs. Russia. Or more specifically, the Global elites vs. Russia. They lost. And they continue to lose on all other fronts.
The global elite’s headquarters are the White House, no matter its resident.
It was the Biden regime that decided in late 2021 to get the war started and let it play out. They thought the Ukraine could win – but more importantly, that even if it didn’t, the war would “weaken Russia”. They thought they could sanction Russia to its knees and that the Russian people would toss Putin out and allow a roundheel like Yeltsin to come to power and let Western moneyed interest extract Russian wealth. They miscalculated, and it has cost billions of dollars and a million lives. Sullivan and Blinken skate away free – until they meet the Just Judge.
Let’s not forget, though, that most of the US foreign policy establishment since the fall of the Soviet Union has been on this path. It’s been bipartisan. Graham, McCain and Klobuchar with Poroshenko in Dec 2016. (1 minute)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am6ONLoWCds
For the record, the arming of the Ukraine was started by the Donald in 2018.
The Maiden Coup was organized by Barry the Kenyan’s Regime.
The big dogs bark and the little dogs run.
“Because 1) no one else has a plan, 2) Trump’s plan is likely to work, 3) the EU would screw it up.”
4) they are going to talk about many more and even bigger issues than what happens to Ukraine.
As I wrote a few days ago:
The anglo-euro-NATO war to Russia in Ukraine is coming to its natural end: capitulation of the extremist and illegitimate regime put in power by the Americans in 2014.
My wife, who is from the Donbas where we also have an apartment in one of its major cities, has a bottle of spumante ready.
The US-Russia negotiations will be around the new security architecture (basically a new Yalta) asked for by Putin for the last time in 2021, in the face of ever mounting NATO expansion and anglo-american “color revolutions” and destabilizing terrorist activities.
The US-Russia negotiations will not be about ukraine, Trump is clearly positioning himself to be able to drop Ukraine like the used condom that it is and walk away nominally leaving this failed project to the deranged EUropeans and the even more deranged Brits, which is totally fine by Putin since today’s NATO, against a peer adversary, has proved to be a paper tiger, and NATO without the US is a wet paper tiger, and everybody of real consequence around the world now knows it…
All of Trump’s moves (Canada, Greenland, Ukraine, tariffs etc etc) show he is aware of the realities of the new “multipolar” world and of the failing USA and he is seeking to carve up and consolidate the best zone of influence possible for a much scaled down US and will reach some agreement with the other two (re)emerging super-powers: Russia and China.
Russia is not a reemerging super power. It is a weak barely second level state whose only claim to be taken seriously is that it possesses nuclear weapons. Russia has as much imperial power as that other faded relic of France.
One of the angles Trump can push to get Putin to come to terms rather quickly is that the Ukrainian conflict has exposed deep and abiding issues with Russia’s military capabilities. It has only been able to gain an advantage over Ukraine due to sheer numerical superiority. Nothing with respect to equipment or tactics has won the war; only piles of dead Russian bodies have made the situation even approximate a win. Winning the Donbas has been the modern definition of a Pyrrhic victory for Russia.
And here’s how Trump can use this exposure of Russian military weakness despite its “victory” in Ukraine: Russia isn’t going to win a war of dead bodies against China and the Chinese might just start looking at Russian military weakness as an opportunity to extend more influence over the ‘stans as well as the Russian Far East up to and including occupation of territories in that region that were once “historically part of the Chinese empire.” Trump offers Putin security on the western borders so that Putin can turn his (probably losing) hand at trying to shore up the rather parlous situation in the east.
Keep reading/watching/listening to whatever Western Agitprop you and Mish get your delusions from, meanwhile in the real world in PPP terms Russia’s GDP surpassed Germany’s and Japan’s ALREADY IN 2021 and it’s the 4th largest economy in the world after China, the US and India.
And that’s according to the IMF and the World Bank…
This while the Western propaganda machine which you listen to was saying that “the ruble is in rabbles” (US President Biden) and “the Russian economy is in tatters” (President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen)
Russia has also been officially been put, by the same WESTERN LED organizations, into the “high income contries” bracket.
As for the military aspects of the NATO – Russia war in Ukraine, there is too much to say so let’s just see what happens with these “negotiations” and what the EU+UK will do to militarily support Ukraine like they swear to this very day that they are going to do and in time everything will become clear even to brainwashed ignorants (no offense meant, I mean it in its literal sense…) like you.
Meanwhile I will point out to you the cognitive dissonance of ALL of the Western leaders (including the American ones under Biden) talking the same BS you do about a Russian Federation militarily greatly weakened with horrendous losses thanks to poor tactics, poor hardware and so on while at the same time also talking about the need to urgently more than doubling our defense spending and massively rearm the West and preparing ourselves because if Russia wins in Ukraine they will not stop at Poland’s borders but will conquer all of Europe…
The truth, which will emerge in time, is that Ukraine lost to date over a million men, Russia about a tenth of that, in Ukraine Russia has destroyed not only the huge amount of military hardware the Ukrainians inherited from Soviet times but also equally huge amounts of Soviet armaments that the West bought all around the world to give them and endless amounts of Western military hardware of all types and quality (meaning from old shit to the very best that the West has today), Russia not only has demilitarized Ukraine but also a good chunck of the West.., Ukrainian (which actually means NATO’s) strategies and tactics were disastrous, Russian strategies and tactics have been proved excellent and Western armaments have been shown to be mediocre to poor compared to what they were up against and Russia has the technogical advantage in many decisive areas like AD systems, hypersonic missiles of all types and today even drones. Not to talk about Russia’s vastly superior military industrial capacities, like your beloved Western sources now admit, in terms of military production (shells, rockets, missiles, tanks etc) Russia is producing in 3 months what the combined West produces in 1 year..
If it was NATO to try to attack 2022 Ukraine, with NATO’s doctrines and tactics honed by fighting 3rd world goat-herders fighting in sandals from the back of pickup trucks, it would have been a bloodbath.
Remember what happened to NATO and the Americans the only time they fought a poor and tiny but somewhat competent adversary armed by obsolete but still good and excellently operated Soviet AD: the Americans lost 2 (the Serbs claim 3) then state of the art “invisible” F-117 stealth fighter attack aircrafts…
In short: BOTH economically and militarily, the Russian Federation has never been so strong as it is today and NATO never so weak.
Interesting idea. Not sure what security in the West means though. To Putin that probably means an exposed Ukraine, which isn’t exactly fair on the people of Ukraine….who are the people who have suffered most. If they can crack it though it is definitely worth investigating.
PS. nice to see some reasoned discussion on here!
Thanks for sorting things out a bit; it’s getting beyond me.
Be ready to be disappointed.
The end of the Ukraine war signal two new trends: the EU economy and industries will benefit from cheaper NG from Russia, but will suffer from tariffs from the US. The EU relationship with Putin will improve, but will be on a shaky ground with the US, after Vance lecture them about values and morality.
I agree.
The European Nations will never buy Hydrocarbons from Russia like before 2022 again. May be Slovakia and Hungary. Why put yourself into a dependency to a rogue country. No thank you! This train has left the station. What relations to you envision between a Putin Russia and the EU. In opposition to a typical US mindset. Economic arguments to not trump values and principles.
You do lead a rich fantasy life.
Trump may be successful in ceasing support for Ukraine and ending sanctions on Russia, but he won’t be successful in ending the war. There is no way Ukraine will accept any armistice that doesn’t include a NATO equivalent security guarantee with substantial allied troops stationed in country to deter future Russian attacks. This won’t happen, which means that Ukraine will not agree to a cease fire even if all US aid is withdrawn.
There will be at least some countries who will continue to provide aid, but the primary reason Ukraine will not accept a ceasefire without iron clad security guarantees is because it knows it’s young population will quickly leave the country once the borders open again if there is any perceived risk that Russia will attack again. People will want to get the hell out of dodge to avoid conscription in the next war. This people flight will be the end of Ukraine because it will both cripple the economy and make it impossible to man a significant army that would be a credible deterrent.
In short, a ceasefire without security guarantees means the end of Ukraine, in which case it’s preferable to fight on indefinitely regardless of how poor the odds. At least they can continue forcibly closing the borders preventing people from fleeing conscription so long as the war remains hot.
– There is no way Ukraine will accept any armistice that doesn’t include a NATO equivalent security guarantee with substantial allied troops stationed in country.
> After the way in which Zelensky and Ukraine behaved, there is no way in hell, they will get into NATO. Ukraine is a loose cannon with only NATO lives to lose at this point. No Way!
– Ukraine will not agree to a cease fire even if all US aid is withdrawn.
> With U.S. Aid gone, other countries, that have no money either, like the U.S. so no they won’t be. Only “USAID” money was going to be able to do that, and it’s gone!
– There will be at least some countries who will continue to provide aid.
> With what? There good looks? Everybody is broke, so why would they send the money they desperately require for their own countries, to give to a war torn Country?
– it knows it’s young population will quickly leave the country once the borders open again if there is any perceived risk that Russia will attack again.
> Where will they go? Hey did they fight, for their Country, if they were going to leave? Maybe Russia is a better fit then, your saying?
– In short, a ceasefire without security guarantees means the end of Ukraine,
> Agree to a cease fire or die, that the choice.
– in which case it’s preferable to fight on indefinitely.
> They will be gone in a day…
It doesn’t matter what ‘Ukraine wants’ or ‘will accept’.
The end of this war will be decided by Putin and Trump.
Zelensky should be asset stripped and imprisoned.
There aren’t enough Ukrainian young men/old med/middle-aged men remaining to feed into the meat grinder.
This was reported by Reuters about 4 hours ago: UK PM Starmer offers to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
He should go there himself.
He has to stay home and feed all the migrants the British conservatives demanded he put up at his house.
Doesn’t everybody, including Russia & Ukraine, wish for a “Peace Deal”? Russia already got what they wished for, and Ukraine gave it to them through War already. Ukraine got what they wished for, and that’s the right to live, despite their continued aggression, led by Harris / Biden who are also gone.
So the “Road To Peace” has been paved…
The whole of the British armed forces fits inside the Wimbledon Stadium with room left.
Excellent points. Good luck to the negotiators.
You know what? European want to take responsibility for Ukraine war as well.
I’m sure Trump will favour European to do Post War Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Ukraine.
Not sure why we need much analysis here. Trump will deliver Ukraine on a silver plate to Putin (sorry for the biblical allusion) because Trump is Putin’s lapdog. What’s so complicated about figuring that out? That Putin by now is a vassal of China is probably too complicated to process for Trump. And Trump will not raise a finger for Taiwan either because “big countries can do what they want” (sorry for the allusion to the Access Hollywood tape). This is how you lose lots of friends. The way things are going, America is going to be the most hated country in the world. Even the Canadians think we are a bunch of complete morons.
Feel free to fly to Ukraine and volunteer for the war effort. Word has it they are looking for soldiers. In three weeks you could be charging the Russian lines and have them fleeing from your righteous wrath.
The Canadians have always hated the Americans.
The Canadians suffer from BBE.. (Big Balls Envy)
the Canadian covet our Maple Syrup, our beautiful northern Sweet Maple forest. Our sun drenched Southern Coast, white sand beaches and lazy days.
Even our desert southwest beckons them from their dark snowy days.
I have a war rifle you can take. Rumor has it the neo -nazi Azov battalion is taking volunteers.
“…we are a bunch of complete morons”
We? Perhaps you should fix that.
EVERY country in the EU dreams of having a leader that actually cares more for their native population than they do their globalist/elite paymasters.
In other words, the majority of the European people would rather have a loyal, conservative, populist leader (Trumpian) than the treasonous, WOKE, globalist, Soros allegiant, scum that they have been forced-fed since the inception of the EU.
Have you ever even been there???
Goebbels couldn’t have said it better. It wasn’t difficult to figure out the propaganda. Russia, Russia, Russia, lost it’s propaganda value some time ago.
Since you love to quote the NYTimes so much – two constitutional law professors from different law schools say Trump may have a case for challenging the entire notion of birthright citizenship, it was published in the paper yesterday.
They’ll all come around eventually.
The Moscow slave state has terminal economic and demographic problems. Putin’s Ukraine bungle compounded the problems. Russia will cease to exist because economic collapse and social revolution are imminent. Trump can either delay or hasten the collapse. Putin cannot survive the end game. When Trump meets Putin mano a mano alone in Saudi Arabia Trump will explain the options to Putin in words of one syllable.
Is that you, McCain writing from hell? Yeah, gas station with nukes. Sure.
After six more months of Ukraine drone attacks Russia won’t have any gas stations.
https://t.me/shot_shot/77426
LOL, In six months, Putin will control 1/3 of Ukraine..
At the cost of 100 Russian casualties per square km Russia would be depopulated of men.
Russia has “terminal economic and demographic problems”?. Goodness. What is your assessment of the western European countries, on these points?
EU has the same demographic and socialist/communist/fascist disease as North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and Venezuela. EU is not yet a terminal case.
Been there lately?
But is KGB wrong? Russia’s demographic collapse is well documented since practically the collapse of the Soviet Union, c.f. https://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP162.html as a fairly early examination of Russia’s demographic challenges. Suffice it to say, the conditions haven’t improved and the war has made the situation worse. As to the Western European nations, they too are facing a similar collapse although they are not as far along as Russia. Curiously, Ukraine may be in a situation that is quite similar to that of Russia. Whether these crises are “terminal” is the open question, but it does point out that Europe, including Russia, are facing serious and ongoing demographic impacts that do have long term economic and social consequences.
In 2022 Russia’s birth rate was 1.42 per woman, in the US 1.66, in the UK 1.57, in the EU was 1.46 and in Ukraine 1.26.
Of note is that in the West are NON-NATIVE Westerners (or minorities or however is the BS PC term of the day) to drive up the numbers…
Without them, the West would have birth rates at the level of Japan, which is 1.26. (exactly like Ukraine…).
The main difference between the Russian Federation and the West is that in Russia they are actually talking about the problem, put it at the forefront of their social policies and the public discourse and actually doing something about it.
Russian culture obliges them to lie lest they lose their jobs or their heads. For example, every drone entering Russian territory was reportedly shot down, yet 48% of all Russian refineries are damaged. Russia’s birth rate is not was not 1.42/woman. A better estimate is less than 1.0 before the war and close to 0.5 today. Food inflation and lack of men guarantees worse to come. Russia is dead and don’t know it.
I have lived and worked in both Russia and Belarus, I read Cyrillic and speak a basic Russian (and just for laughs even some Surjhik, if you know what that is…, and some useless Ukrainian), my wife is from the Donbas where we also have an apartment and my children are half-Russian and you are talking to me about “Russian culture” and how they live in Russia..? LMAO!
Those birth rates BTW come ALL from the same WESTERN LED source: the World Bank.
And the after party?
“Millions of Ukrainians have left their country and hundreds of thousands of men are dead and wounded at the front. Now, employers and big capital are already suggesting that the “only solution” is for mass immigration of Third-World migrants.”
A solution for western Europe’s illegal immigrant problem?
https://rmx.news/ukraine/ukraine-faces-population-replacement-with-third-world-migrants-after-the-war/
Victoria Nuland said it Best:
“…F___ the EU”.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26079957
Good analysis. There’s another aspect. If there would be a material difference to the average Ukrainian living under Russian rule vs under Zelensky rule, what would it be? Language? Ethnicity? If so, people could relocate, stoke their hatreds for the next war, as Azerbaijan and Armenia seem to have done. Georgia seems to have survived the loss of its little Russian-speaking enclave. I’ve forgotten the name of the current Chechnyan leader-goon, but he’s the son of the former independence (Islamic?) leader-goon. Except this guy is totally devoted to Putin. A couple of years ago I saw an interview (BBC?) in which he boasted that his two teenaged sons would fight to the death for Putin. Trump and the U.S. are totally justified in washing our hands of this part of the world. If Starmer and Macron want to throw their children into the fray, we should wash our hands of NATO.
Like most Ukrainians, Zelensky grew up speaking only Russian but presided over a regime that banned the language. He also banned the Russian Orthodox Church. Pushed to political prominence by his fellow tribesman and oligarch, Kolomoyskyi, he hoodwinked the Ukrainian electorate with a promise of compromise and peace with Russia. Of course, the Nazis in western Ukraine threatened him to not even think about peace with Russia.
Zelensky is a tv comedian who has enriched himself and his family on the teat of american taxes, courtesy of Joe Biden and probably learned some of his grift and graft from the Americans embedded in Ukraine.
He suspended elections to keep the graft coming. His only questions in a peace negotiation would be “how much money will I get?”
Actually it was his father himself, Akhmat Kadyrov, who first saw the light and realized that his country was just being used like Ukraine and Georgia would have been later, he switched sides and fought with the Russians.
He saw how Chechnya was being flooded by the anglo-americans with mercenary foreign fighters who were way more extremist than the Chechens, who had no interest for Chechnya and who were using tactics which put the Chechen population under direct threath. In short, the country was being destroyed for the sake of the anglo-american interests, like Georgia partially was and Ukraine has been today.
After the war Akhmat Kadirov was given the title of Hero of Russia and put as President of the Republic, title that his son Ramzan “inherited” as his normal in those very tribal parts of the world.
Both father and son are liked by most of the population and the Chechens are generally pretty happy with their situation today. Have you ever visited Grozny? The Russians totally destroyed it in the 2 wars and then they rebuilt it way better than it ever was.
I have visited it and it puts to shame many European or American cities of comparable size…
The Russians, for the record, are already rebuilding the 4 regions which went back home in the Russian Federation, even under war conditions.
Thanks for this.
He’s playing Russia against Ukraine trying to get a better deal for the rare earths, simple as that.
@Bryan,you are of course referring to Emperor Zelensky in your comment? I assume he is the “he” you reference in playing Russia against Ukraine to get a better deal…
“The WSJ editorial board would fund Ukraine forever, risking WW III.”
And that’s news to who?
Why? Because the EU is governed by remnants of past authoritarian regimes, recently revived by dumb liberal voters, but now teetering on the brink of irrelevance thanks to a growing global conservative backslash.
Trump is playing 4D chess very well. He is well aware of the potential of a two front war, which has been the central thesis of the military since the end if WW2. The US can’t defend both theaters by itself. The US has far more trade with the East than with Europe. Europe also gets a substantial amount of chips from the East as well. If the chip supply from the East were cut off, both the US and Europe would end up losing. By freeing up the military from front line NATO obligations, Trump can project force toward the East to protect its supply (and Europe’s) of semiconductors. Trump is making a decision to take a potential small loss in European relationships than take huge losses in both theaters. Appeasement failed 90 years ago. Europe has learned nothing.
US 21st century foreign policy can not restt on “never again’, post WWII European liberal nannycract policies.
Point is, this country has the means and will to guarantee never again with regards to Europe.
London is going to lose their @ss when their Ukraine investments and loans fall through.
While Trump appears to be seeking peace with Russia, half-way across the globe Marco ‘The Midget’ Rubio is busy kissing the ring of genocidal evil-doer Nutty Yahoo, who appears to be getting a pledge of assistance from Trump to “finish the job” with Iran.
So the anti-Semites get their penny’s worth tonight.
Put your Jew card away. DOGE cancelled them.
Interesting. I accuse you of being an anti-Semite; you tell me to put my “Jew card” (whatever that is) away. I’m an Irish atheist. You’re an anti-Semite. Glad we understand each other.
Anti-Semitism used to mean people who hated Jews, now it means people who are hated by Jews.
Americans flushed enough of their sons & daughters lives down the toilet in Iraq for Netanyahu. Nobody wants to do that again for him in Iran.
Wanna bet?
“For Netanyahu”? And I thought the American left lived in a fantasy world.
Someone recently made the comment that all the Wall Street journal op-ed writers should at the end of their pro yukie rants be forced to declare which defense contractors are they being paid by and how much.. that would shut them up quickly.
This idea that Trump is playing 4 dimensional chess is ludicrous. He’s senile, surrounded by bootlickers and yes men, and he’s going to cut a bad deal and expect Europe to pay for it. Then if (when) the deal goes south or Putin regroups and invades the baltic states in a few years Trump and his idiot followers will say no one could see this coming and blame DEI or something. Europe needs to realize Trump and America are not their allies anymore, they need to retrench asap.
The U.S. hasn’t been the Europeons’ ally for decades. Bombing Nordstream should have been a clue. Russia won’t invade the Baltics as long as they act right. If they start persecuting ethnic Russians, then there might be trouble. Same if they try to deny Russian access to the Baltic Sea or to Kaliningrad.
Ethnic Russians should be deported like any other illegal invader.
You are right … up to the second sentence.
Think he’d have trouble with a 2D chess board.
Make it a 2D checkers board.
Once again 100% agree with you Mike.
Ukraine signed a land lease agreement with the US. They are talking about minerals, before peace. The US isn’t talking about a shot gun marriage. It’s about preserving lives, mineral rights and the future of the US in the continent. By mid 2025 the EU no longer need us for protection. Case close. Trump will focus on Iran, N.K and China. Both Trump and the Europeans leaders will focus on the growing internal threats. Who will be in bigger troubles: the authoritarians Europeans, or the federal gov of the US.
The goal is to end the war ASAP.
Having fewer players in the room makes a ton of sense.
And the EU hasn’t stoned Ukraine with ~$150B like we have.
So, you could say we “bought” our seat at the table.
There, that wasn’t so hard to figure out.
thanks mish, thats one good kick in the nuts to brussels badly needed.
after MINSK why would they want them around?
EU is a bag of fleas which are united ( willingly or unwillingly) by UKR war. When the war ends each flea runs in differnet direction. That’s why EU wants the war to continue. Yes, there is no EU plan to end the war. Trump has a motivation to end the war. He needs to 1/ End UKR war to cut off all money pipelines (USAID, Pentagon, CIA, etc.) to Democrats 2/ Get relevant documents from Kiev to destroy Dems as corrupt party. That’s the way to win in 2028. If Trumpists lose in 2028 Dems will send them to jail. 3/ Create G3 with China and Russia and try to traingulate and split Russia and China. For any of these 3 goals he doesn’t need EU. EU would only complicate that. However he will need help of Kiev for #2. Will he remove Zelenski&Co to achieve that? To get #3 done Trump needs to show a big carrot to Putin. He can’t give him Ukraine, that would make #2 unachievable. It looks that Trump is throwing EU under the bus and Putin will be offered to pick what he wants – frozen assets, sanctions, some gas supplies.
Start with Viktor Shokin. He knows where the Joe Biden skeletons are hidden.
Eurocrats are all a bunch of commies.
Who cares if they like it or not.
Is there a deal to be made? Of course, in a situation like this, leverage and transactional deal-making can produce an outcome. That is not the question. Chamberlain could have made a deal with Hitler to spare London from being bombed in exchange for, at a minimum, neutrality and, at worst, England’s eventual alliance with Germany. From an “England First” point of view, that might have been the way to go, but Churchill saw it much differently. For Churchill, it was not about avoiding sacrifice but about a way of life and values. Any deal with Putin to end the war must involve Russia exiting the war weaker and more diminished than when it entered. Anything short of that runs the risk of being a short-term resolution and sending a clear lesson to Putin, who is willing to sacrifice the lives of Russians to advance his vision and ambitions. There were many years between the war in Chechnia, the assault on Georgia, the seizing of Crimea by proxy, and the ground invasion of Ukraine. This succession of hostilities persists not because the international community did not respond but because the response did not enact a significant enough toll on Russia. Thus, Putin’s calculus was that short-term pain is worth long-term gain. Mish says Kallas should not be at the bargaining table. Who better than the former leader of Estonia, which was once a Soviet satellite state and currently is a NATO member that borders Russia? Instead we should have a reality TV star and real estate developer leading the negotiations as if it is just a business deal.
The Duke & Duchess of Sussex should represent the Europe at the table. Count the silverware when they’re around.
Russia will take as much of the Ukraine as it wants. That’s the deal. Take it or take it. Kaja Kallas! lol
Reality TV star, real estate developer AND the President of the United States. Do you also want to make a comment on the former profession of the current Ukranian President? My goodness.
And the commentary of Chamberlain/Churchill–one is a discussion of avoiding conflict whereas the current situation is to END an existing conflict. What’s your proposal to end the conflict and our shipping billions to Ukraine?
You say Russia MUST be weaker and diminished, so I guess the President can’t negotiate that but YOU can? Wow. Russia and Ukraine are already both weaker and diminished from this protracted conflict.
I can’t understand where Democrats and the neocon Republicans got in bed together to love ongoing war but here we are.
If the Estonian leader is better able to negotiate, what has prevented him doing so thus far? Oh yeah, that’s right…on the world stage there’s only the United States that can alter this outcome. I believe a proposal was already on the table and was scuttled by, allegedly, the UK.
You mention oh so many other events historically, let’s ask the Estonian leadership how they handled each.
Do you want peace or not? Once the conflict dragged on and territory was taken and the taker is determined to retain it, unless you plan on making that the red line a settled peace that involves a different map is going to be the outcome. You are welcome to send your tax dollars and your family into the conflict, Trump would like it to end. Peace is massively better for all parties including the Ukrainians that will then live in peace either in a slightly different Ukraine or a slightly different Russia.
In Zelensky’s defense, he was one of top penis-piano-players in the Ukraine.
Let’s correct some of your statements. First, the former leader of Estonia is a woman, not a man. Second, when Chamberlain was prepared to “negotiate” with Hitler in 1938-39, Hitler had already invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland, as well as annexed Austria, and was obviously preparing to invade France. Russia will never stop attempting to control its Eastern European neighboring countries unless the price for doing so is too high. The deal should not reward Russia with new territory. Crimea should become an actual independently governed territory of Ukraine. All territory currently occupied by Russia since the 2022 invasion should be returned to Ukraine in exchange for a 10-year moratorium on Ukraine’s NATO membership, but Ukraine’s EU membership and security guarantees provided by EU member military presence and U.S. defensive weapons systems. Economic sanctions against Russia will be reversed hand in hand with Russian economic reparations used to rebuild Ukraine. Russian citizens or Russian-controlled companies will be prohibited from owning Ukrainian land or enterprises for 25 years.
Your demands ignore the reality of the war. The military situation on the ground favors Russia. It’s not Trump’s war, and he wants it to end. He will cut a decent peace deal. And there will be no NATO membership for Ukraine, as it represents a needless provocation of Russia.
No he won’t. The only deal on offer is to demand Ukraine surrender (or accept Russian suzerainty, like Belorus). Ukraine either has to accept that they are a Russian vassal state or take their chances in continuing the war indefinitely without US support. Ukraine will choose to fight on. So no, there will be no peace deal. Just a process that lets Trump wash his hands of the mess and blame Ukraine for what happens. It’s Ukraine’s fault that they were too dumb to accept the peaceful surrender option that Trump so masterfully negotiated.
Hitler had not yet invaded Poland nor Czechoslovakia when the agreement was made. I am surprised you didn’t know that very important basic fact.
Hitler annexed Austria and took control of the western part of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Hitler took all of Czechoslovakia in early 1939 and it finally took Hitler rolling tanks into Poland in September 1939 for England finally to declare war on Germany. Up to that point, Chamberlain was still holding onto the delusion that he could negotiate with Hitler.
You and a lot of other guys are going to have to man up and go to Ukraine to fight like the jihadis that went to Afghanistan to defeat the USSR and the USA did if you want this war to end in any way that weakens Russia or sees it diminished. But I don’t think you’re willing to make such personal sacrifices, especially your own blood. You’re not cut out of the same cloth as the jihadis.
You know nothing, but I will tell you that my grandfathers fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War for the Union, WWI with honors that earned him a Legion of Honor Medal from France, and WWII being awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for heroism. So, I would say that I have the necessary bloodline, how about you? Maybe you should be saying thank you for the bravery and sacrifice of my family.
Are they not irrelevant at this point?
Always have been
I would have to agree with that. I never gave much credence to the idea, and then Brexit, I tossed it in at that point…
Henry Kissinger:
“It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”
Wake up Mish. US and Russia guaranteed Ukraine’s borders in 1991 when they gave up their nuclear arsenal. After the break up of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was the third largest nuclear power in the world. They returned the nukes to Russia, in exchange for border security. What makes you think a security guarantee now will be any different than the one then ?
Ukraine didn’t have nukes. The Soviet Union had them stationed in the Ukraine. The Budapest memorandum was obviated when the U.S. instigated color revolutions in 2004 and 2014. Not to mention the U.S. violating the promise not to expand NATO “one inch” to the East of Germany. And positioning dual use missile launchers in Romania and Poland and pretending they were to defend against Iran. RAND has drawn up plans to vivisect Russia, and the Russians are not oblivious to American schemes. Even now the EU VP for foreign affairs – Kaja Kallas of the mighty nation of Estonia has called for the Russian Federation to be split up. Russia was unwilling to cooperate with its own destruction.
The “not one inch” comment was made by Secretary of State James Baker back around 1990. But he was overruled by his boss (Bush 41) and it never became part of any treaty.
Yes, it was a broken American promise. The only kind there is.
Wake up Cowman. Russia was never going to allow its naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea to be turned into a NATO naval base. Crimea became part of the Russian Empire as part of the spoils of a war with the Ottoman Empire going back to 1783. When Ukraine achieved its independence in 1991, Russia started making rental payments on its naval base in Crimea, from what I have read. It was a big mistake for American neocons to stir up trouble in that part of the world and to help overthrow Ukraine’s Russia leaning president back in 2014. He was elected by Ukrainian voters. There have been few winners in the Russia-Ukraine war. The US has spent some $200 billion on military and economic aid for Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Russia have lost many soldiers in the war. Germany lost access to inexpensive natural gas via the now damaged Nordstream 1 pipeline and was afraid to activate Nordstream 2. Ukraine has been heavily bombed and millions of civilians have fled the country. Germany’s electricity rates are about as high as San Francisco’s, which are the highest in the lower 48 states. Germany’s manufacturing economy is in trouble because of its high cost of electricity. I think its far right party, Afd, will do better than expected in national elections set for Feb. 23.
Remember Tony Blinken had a smirk on his face when he stated that the Nordstream pipeline disaster was reason for western Europe to buy more LNG from the United States.
They still have Chernobyl …they could threaten to uncork that.
When the head of NATO says that NATO expansion is the cause of this war, you might want to listen. (September 2024) It’s not about Russian imperialism. It’s about Soviet missiles in Cuba… no, sorry… i meant US missiles in Romania, Poland and Ukraine.
During the Clinton Administration’s second term, Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic became part of NATO.
Recall dimwit Wesley Clark’s role in the old Yugoslavia and how that in part lead to the rise of Putin in Russia.
NATO also expanded with the addition of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Albania and Croatia joined in the first term of the Obama Administration.
You do understand that NATO does not “expand.” NATO never forces an alliance on a sovereign nation. It is the other way around. A sovereign nation and its people express the free will to join NATO because that nation believes such an alliance is in its best interest. Many Americans like the phrase America First, which by the way was first an organizing label attached to the late 1930s movement to keep America neutral as Hitler began his campaign to take over Europe and exterminate the Jewish race, but that is another topic. In the most generous terms, America First today seems to mean that our nation should prioritize what is in its best interest, but in the case of Eastern European nations, the same people championing America First seem to believe that those Eastern European nations do not have the same sovereign rights and they should subordinate their sovereign rights to their large and aggressive neighbor, Russia. Why should Ukraine and its people not be able to seek and ultimately, but conditionally, receive membership in NATO? Russia has zero say in who Ukraine allies with.
Absolutely right Mish!
So, the WSJ is saying: wait, Mr. Trump! Wait! You mean you’re actually going to do what you said you’d do and were elected to do?
Apparently, it still hasn’t registered with the WSJ that Trump won the election last November.
This term he isn’t listening to types like Bolton and Pompeo, who have lost their clearances. He is trusting his own instincts.
The thought of leaving Europe to the Europeans — 80 years after WW II — is sounding better and better every day.
He took away the security clearances just time for them to be out of the loop before negotiations. He froze out anyone who could possibly leak. Trump is very methodical.
Pompeo had plans to be VP under Haley if the “lone wolf” hadn’t missed in Butler. Bummer for Pompeo. Might as well pack the weight back on.
Their scowling faces were obvious 2 days later at the convention.
A lot of Trump’s business champions wanted to believe that his threats were mere blusters, while taking to the bank the tax cuts he wants to pass
Frankly I believe that Trump is using a negotiating tactic to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war or not. Start with a lowball number and set a deadline to give urgency and if he rejects the reasonable offer then you know he isn’t serious and no reason to continue talking.
The last thing Putin wants is to have to occupy western Ukraine. He was under internal pressure to get the Russian speaking portions of Ukraine under Russia’s protection and keep NATO missiles off of the Russian border. Since the Russian military has pretty much achieved control of the Russian speaking territories Putin most likely to be done with this mess.
Zelenskyy has the bigger problem. He has his neo-nazi battalion to deal with whom absolutely will not want a peace deal that doesn’t include Ukraine’s previous borders. He most likely is a dead man if he agrees to a peace deal without original Ukraine’s territory’s included.
I approve the Trump administration admonishing Zelenskyy for halting elections and “asking” them to resume them.
He’ll be fine in London, Italy, Israel or Miami Beach.
I agree Putin is done now, and content. He got the rest of what His Country and It’s People wanted. He paid little to do so, but looked willing, so I would think it’s ALL done!
Trump stepped in, right in time to stop the shenanigan’s from making matters much worse then necessary for Peace, but clearly for War of some sort and some ending or goal in mind.
Thankfully a “Peace Deal” is Imminent, at this point IMHO.
Putin wants the see the Ukraine demilitarized, denazified and its ethnic Russian population restored status as equal citizens. The Trump can only partially achieve this, only Putin can fully achieve such goals.
The issue with “denazifying” Ukraine is all the nazis in Russia that support Putin. I guess it takes a nazi to know a nazi, but will the Russian nazis denazify themselves if and when they denazify Ukraine? Doubtful.
The very few Russians (and Belarusians, why do you ukro-propagandists always forget about them..?) who like to fashion themselves as neo-nazis (which is illegal both in the Russian Federation and in Belarus) fled all to the EU long ago (living mainly in Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania) and those among them with some balls since 2022 have been fighting in Ukraine on the Ukrainian side with their West-supported neo-nazi Ukrainian friends from the Azov (now 3th Assault), the Right Sektor, C14, Kraken etc…
They all are being properly denazified by the Russian Federation military.
America has little leverage. If you rule out nuclear war and American troops in the Ukraine, we’ve given the Ukies everything they can use themselves and stuff they can’t. Ukraine’s losses dwarf those of Russia (except in US state-controlled media, with the occasional accidental admission against interest). The Europeons think they’re helping, but they’re only getting more Ukrainians killed. If we’d agreed to Russia’s proposal in December 2021, the war never would have happened. If America hadn’t nixed peace at Istanbul, it could have ended in April 2022. If the Ukrainians had accepted Putin’s 2024 conditions it could have ended then.
BoJo The Clown in April 2022.
Hey Mish, why did you label this blogpost and the last under “Economics” instead of “Politics”?
That’s what you’re concerned about w.r.t this blog post? smh
I’m actually not concerned about this particular blogpost at all. Trump is not “leading” any actual “peace talks” at all, regardless of Mish’s clickbait title. And I’d wager good money this ‘topic’ will have multiple blogposts here during 2025 because nothing is going to change substantially there by then and the ZH-lite readers eat this stuff up.
But I like reading Mish’s Economic posts so I’d like a shortcut to those actual topic areas, and not the chum that gets the angry super interested, that’s all
Sometimes economics and politics intertwine
A very senior exec at one of the world’s largest shipping companies, who happens to be European, said this to me a few years ago: “we view the world like this. China is the factory, the US is the consumer, Brazil is the kitchen……and Europe is irrelevant.”
The quip seemingly contains some lasting fundamental truths.
Because Trump wants lasting peace and no more dead bodies while Europe wants to extent the war by demanding that Russia give up additional territory.
No Trump does not want peace. Trump wants things from Russia and settlement talks will enable him to get what he wants. For all we know, it could be a hotel. Trump is happy to have wars going on all around him as long as US soldiers are not fighting and no US money is being used. And also this is a counter to China. He wants Russia to warm to to us. But Putin like Trump is only in for what he can get. And his promises are worth the same as a Trump promise. ZERO
Weird, world leaders worrying about what’s in it for their nation
I wouldn’t expect a miniature golf arcade joint venture in Siberia.
It’s gone well????
If you mean weakening NATO, cutting allies and Ukraine itself out of the process (a bit like letting your mistress negotiate your divorce on behalf of your wife), and engaging in the worlds worst negotiation tactic of telling your counterpart exactly what you’re willing to give up before you’ve even started talking, then I suppose it’s going swimmingly. You’re smarter than this, man.
Ukraine wouldn’t ever have been in this position if it weren’t for the US State Dept deposing the democratically elected leader and installing a US puppet and promising Ukraine membership in the EU and NATO. There needs to be consequences for Victoria Nuland and I hope Trump goes after her.
No such thing as a democratically elected communist including Joe Biden, Barrak Obama, Schroeder, Merkel, and Scholz.
NATO is a farce. NATO is America and America is NATO. We only put on the NATO mask when we want to destroy a country like LIBYA. America doesn’t have allies. We have vassals. We treat them like a used prostitute. And that goes for the Ukraine. Wham bam, thank you maam.
How does Israel factor into your statement “We have vassals” ??
The White House sends money to Israel which then uses it to bribe congressmen. Israel is just the intermediary.
More importantly there is no Ukrainian representation. Is that idiot Trump going to foist a solution on Kiev. This is going to run and run although not as long as the weeping sore Gaza. Clueless.
You are Wrong
Trump said Ukraine is at the Table
It’s obvious to everyone except you that Ukrainian representation is limited to Z begging the US for more weapons, soldiers and money. Without those things Putin takes over the entire country. His input is irrelevant at this point as is the EU.
True as the USA has given at least $150 to Ukraine since Biden’s first year in office. Let alone Trump sent aid to Ukraine as well.
Just read that UK Prime Minister has promised to send UK troops to Ukraine for peacekeeping role, not sure the details of this such as how many troops.
As your Government fermented this pile of excrement under Obama by taking a dump in Putins back yard the least you can do is pick up the tab.
The then head of the CIA was in Kiev while the revolution was in progress.
Get with the programme.
Don’t forget Victoria Nuland’s role in the Maidan Revolution
“It’s just part and parcel of living in the big city. Get used to it.”