Russia-Ukraine War

I don't know too much easier.

But surely Ukraine with F16s > Ukraine without F16s.

A lot has been made of the fact that Ukraine barely have an air force, but the Russians still struggle to get air superiority.

There has been reports about Russians having finished their contract terms and looking to return home, being refused permission to leave, and those that did were being charged with deserting.

According to latest survey from Ukrainian Razunkov Centre think-tank, 44 percent of Ukrainians in favour of negotiating with Russia to try and end the war, but 80 percent against Putin's current conditions. Hard to know what to read into that except a growing sense that it's time to at least start talking...

Unless they survey the conditions Ukrainians would accept it's pointless.

Do the majority want 1991 borders back and EU membership?

Do they want NATO?

Would they accept 1991 borders minus Crimea?

It's pretty pointless without knowing which of Putin's conditions they don't agree with.

In my mind I can't see a world where Ukrainians would accept losing cities like Mariupol, Melitopol, Berdyansk and especially Donetsk city.

Reminds me of the old quip about the large and modern Russian army.

Russia has a modern army but it isn't large. Russia also has a large army but it isn't modern.

One of the suggestions was that the likes of T62s being seen were a temporary measure a while back. The fact that they are dragging out Stalin era T54s would dispel that notion.

this poll is going to be construed a number of ways… conditions for talking seriously have been set a good while back, until Russia decide it's time to lower the bar, it's not going to happen.

Also from the Razumkov Centre today…66% of Ukranian's think Russia can be beaten on the battlefield.

Shock! Russia goes back on its word.

Through carelessness in preparing food or standards falling in food production or more subsidisation of food products from third world countries and being imported in substandard containers or conditions. But there's been a lot of poisonings of people reported all across Russia this past month and more. Lots of reports of children in camps and such. This one in last few days in Crimea.

Poisoning at a children's camp

Children were poisoned en masse at the Kalamitsky Briz camp in Yevpatoriya. Rospotrebnadzor reported that 26 people were hospitalized. The children were diagnosed with acute intestinal infection.

The department noted that the children are currently in satisfactory condition, and an epidemiological investigation is being conducted at the institution itself. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, ordered a report to him on the progress of the case.

The very first starting point for the negotiations would be the full and unconditional surrender of Russia and its delivery into the administration of allied Western forces.

Just an advert in Russia nowadays.

Yeah, quite as incredible though it may seem!!! More than shocking, in fact!!!😕

, he's said he would reduce funding to Ukraine and with every putin interaction he's rolled over and exposed his belly

You don't think he would just facilitate Putin's invasion using all the levers at his command?

Would he just leave a small rump in the East (or none at all if Putin insisted on taking the whole country?

If Europe tried to prevent this ,would he just see where the dice fell or would he strongarm it into accepting whatever agreement he came to with Putin

(my hypotheses entirely. Just how I feel things could play out if he has a free hand)

Edit :!s there a general sentiment in America that it owes Europe nothing and that any ties are just transactional?

Honestly manic, you've lost it here, trump's plans would be awful for NATO, his behavior with authoritarians has been to give them what they want, even with Iran, he managed to make it worse and give Iran more autonomy while trying to punish them.

And the only defence is "he won't actually do what he's saying". Which isn't a good reason to support someone.

It does feel like you've been reaching on this topic for the last while. putin will be counting down the days till a trump presidency.

You have said it before (to look at Trump's actions vs his words as regards NATO during his previous term + won't be as bad as people fear), but I don't believe that you can extrapolate from "Trump 1" to "Trump 2".

Not sure if you are trying to reassure yourself here or what? I think Trump was feeling his way to an extent. All those former Generals and experts he was appointing to cabinet positions are gone now. I think a few of them have come out and said he was a disaster that needed to be guide-railed and talked around to avoid making awful decisions (from their pov).

Now he thinks he knows what he is doing, and has built up a group of kooks around him that will be more to his liking, flatter him and indulge his ideas. His awful Vice President choice JD Vance is the new breed, a person who swallows a good bit of Russian propaganda whole and spews it out again.

I think he will be whispering in Trump's ear that Ukraine needs to be cut off, agreeing with him that NATO involvement needs scaling back as many European states and the EU itself are conning the US by not paying protection money, and are just as much a US enemy as "Chy-na". More appointments like him to follow I expect if Trump wins.