Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

And yet, that article you don't quote. Very telling… :)

This is mainstream, extremely pro-NATO media. Trying to say an outlet like Forbes is "Moscow-originated propaganda" is objectively incorrect

We really don't do absolutes here. Everything is relative.
https://archive.ph/20171215035245/https%3A//www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/12/14/chinese-ownership-is-raising-questions-about-the-editorial-independence-of-a-major-u-s-magazine/

As for the Ukrainian leadership being ideologically incapable of negotiations, that's an opinion I hold based on the evidence, not least of which is the legislation the leadership introduced to ban negotiations with Russia to appease their idealogical base. Was Zelensky at one time separate from the idealogical class? Sure. But now he is completely indistinguishable from those idealogical groups.

You too might be a part of those ideological groups if you had lost loved ones… but clearly you haven't. Yet.

As for the EU (and the UK) - they are completely incapable of negotiation.

True. That is by design. If they are seen as people that negotiate with war criminals they'll be voted out of office. FYI no-one here in the West likes the idea of their representative sitting at the same table as someone who bombs schools and hospitals…

I've said earlier that if Trump was smart, he would a) walk away from Biden's war, or b) to whatever extent he does negotiate, talk directly to Russia and cut Ukraine and the EU out of the talks

Arguments strait out of the Kremlin… and predictably wrong… Do you have any idea of how easy it is to send one of those old soviet NPPs into a meltdown with a few well placed explosives? Why do assume Ukrainians have no agency? Because that is the party line and you have to toe it, I suspect…

they would only enter them with the aim of sabotaging the talks.

You're right. Much better to just sabotage Russian infrastructure after the fact. To maximize the amount of egg in Trump's face… xD

All that said, I don't think a negotiated peace will happen - the two sides (Russia and NATO) are simply too far apart. And its apparent by now Trump has no real idea what to do so they may never even happen.

NATO is nowhere to be seen in this conversation. No matter how much your handler says otherwise… Not yet anyway… >:D

That isn't my logic. But you do demonstrate what I mean by an idealogical incapability to negotiate - your presentation of the conflict by its own logic rules out any possible negotiations, almost by design. It is this simple Good vs Evil tale that completely delegitimises the idea of negotiations. How can you negotiate with evil, right?

So true. Especially when it so much easier to just bankrupt evil… 🤣

Dropping the idealogical blinkers, Ukraine is in locked into a war it is losing

Depends on your definition and objectives. If your objective is to conquer territory then yeah they are losing. And at the rate they are going they'll be completely defeated in 320 years give or take a few months. However, if your objective is slowly bleed your enemy and drive them and their allies bankrupt all the while show the world the animals that they are, I'd say the Ukrainians are doing just fine.

and despite the propaganda, there is no "one weird trick" that flips the tables.

There is. It's called 'drone warfare' and for now it's doing wonders.

All the wunderwaffen have been deployed, and failed.

Again with the selective analysis… Hi do wonder how many time you and your ilk wrote that "Himars won't make a difference". Same thing for everything else. I would hope that the Russians would consider all the Allied help to have been instrumental in foiling their plans… otherwise why the hell are we still discussing UA? Wasn't is supposed to be a 3 week SMO?

NATO is not going to fight Russia for Ukraine

LOL… Don't be silly of course not. NATO is going to fight - and do notice the future tense - Russia because of Russia. Because it is a threat to the current status quo. And because it has proved that it never sticks to written agreements. It's really that simple.

if they wanted to, they could have by now.

There's always time to start. To sabotage. To assassinate.

We're beginning to see entire Ukrainian brigades like the 155th and 157th collapse.

Yes we are… at least those of us that spend too much time reading Russian influenced sources.

Negotiations are in the interests of Ukraine. Fighting on to the last Ukrainian is not.

That's really up to the Ukrainians. And you are not one of them.

No it is not… it's all just a convoluted ploy to make you believe that… :P

As it stands, it is a salient that Ukraine is now obliged to defend, so quite a lot of Ukrainian soldiers are tied down there just trying to hold it. They are caught in a spot where they can be fired on from 3 sides which must be less than ideal. This may suit Putin, just like the salient on the southern front that Ukraine opened back in 2023. While Ukraine gained a small amount of territory on both occasions, I am not able to see the effect benefit to their war effort in either case, bar a small but temporary propaganda victory.

Well, Gallup polls indicate 52% of Ukraine's public want an ending to War as Soon as Possible. Meanwhile the Guardian reports that most U.S. Aid programs in Ukraine have abruptly stopped. Which may rack up public support for an end to the war.

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian leaders are posturing as to who is and who isn’t ready to negotiate. If talks get started, I guess their actual negotiating positions will emerge.

Which doesn't answer the question but I'm assuming some sort of negotiations will start soon. If they don't, perhaps Trump will say it's an EU problem and walk off. Will the EU carry the can then? They say they will but they don't have the weaponry and they don't have the money. And European public opinion is best described as "pissed off".

"This may suit Putin".

It might suit Putin that Ukraine holds Russian territory, the first incursion since WW2, and despite months and months of trying to dislodge them, as well as a public declaration that it must be retaken that's long expired….this could "suit him".

It suits Putin as much as D-Day suited Hitler.

"I can't see any benefit"

You can't see any benefit to a front that ties up large amounts of Russian forces and has them suffering very high casulties trying to desperately get it back, not even mentioning the absolute hammer blow to Russian standing and embarrassment to Putin, and the fact it gives Ukraine cards in possible negotiations.

Still laughing at the "this may suit Putin". The eternal mastermind. All the chess pieces moving according to plan 3 years later into a botched invasion of David v Goliath.

What we now know for sure is that Russia cannot join NATO as part of its territory is contested.

😂

Went boom it seems, landmine of some sorts

Those stockpiles were used up early in war when Russia used to s300 missiles in ground attack mode to attack apartments and hospitals and other “strategic” targets Russian terrorists like to hit

There’s a reason non stealthy Cessna like drones are flying around with impunity in Russian airspace for thousands of kilometres day after day

Or they are waiting to see what happens in Germany at the upcoming election, wasn't Elon there recently having lunch with the adf, maybe Elon is going to be great with computers in Germany soon too.

Its that time again

Seems to be a busy one

^ refinery in astrakhan too

Early reports yet but stuff (scooters?) blowing up in Moscow too

Aside new milestone

we are past more visually confirmed dead Russians by drone in half a year than died in Russian Afgan war in ten

Life for Russians on the front line