Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

I do admire it, but, it was a bad move diplomatically… Trump needs his ego massaged, you won't get away with saying things like that with him if he is in the place of power.

These poxy EU leaders better start growing a pair or someone from the Eastern block take charge… this silence is deafening.

And that 500 billion is in repayment for the 65 billion actually drawn down out of the 175 billion allocated for Ukraine. But much worse, Trump now wants a50% part of all profitable Ukrainian enterprises, in perpetuity. Black mail is the only word for it. No difference between Trump and Putin.

Reports that Trump had ordered an 8% cut in military spending for each of the next five years.

Curiouser and curiouser. This has to be met with pushback by a lot of parties… veterans, arms manufacturers, regular sane people both Republicans and Democrats.

Why when temperatures globally are at boiling point would he consider this??? It’s unhinged.

Glass half full take!

At least not everyone is going along with Trump's deranged, dementia driven bile - some headlines from the Sydney Morning Herald:

Trump has heaped more lies on Ukraine – it’s not helping anyone

Trump’s bizarre accord with Putin is downright dangerous

Why Trump’s bullying is going to backfire on him

His former vice President, Pence, called out Trump and said that Russia invaded Ukraine who were in no way to blame.

John Bolton said: "Trump's characterisations of Zelensky and Ukraine are some of the most shameful remarks ever made by a US president.

Russia literally showed naked pictures of Trumps wife on national tv last year and yet here is Trump bending over for Putin.

Russia has had this planned for decades. Today they have won the Cold War.

USA first, Europe next.

would the Americans stay there if body bags were being returned to the US as a result of a ‘ Ukerinian underground group ‘ acting under cover.?

Ukraine is an immensely valuable country. If Ukraine was not a valuable country it would have zero allies. Ukraine was the most valuable part of the old Soviet Union. It’s got millions of acres of black earth soil where you merely have to scatter the seed and forget about it and it will grow. Billions worth of minerals and resources. It will pay back every penny. And the EU should make sure it’s at the top of the queue.

It does damage people's health. A lot are kept alive with medication but are diabetic etc.

Some people like your dad and uncle get away with it. Overall though, look at obesity and diabetes rates in the First World. A lot of unhealthy people living longer.

''A loser and sucker. Getting himself tortured and killed for what….a crowd of lazy wastrels, women, the poor, and other nobodies. Healing the sick….for nothing. Loaves, fishes and wine…for nothing. Imagine the money he could have got out of those rubes: miraculous wine-ten denarii a bottle. He could have been rich. Lived in a big house. Rode around in a gold chariot. Got hot chicks.''

Agree. Baltic States, Poland must be very nervous.

On 22nd Jan, I see a story in the KI whereby Zelensky was dangling Ukraine's supposed mineral wealth* as a means of trying to influence Trump to support him.

https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-highlights-ukraines-investment-potential-seeks-global-investors-at-davos-forum/

Zelensky also gave a speech to the Ukrainian parliament on 16th Oct 2024 where he talked up Ukraine's mineral resources and said they either enrich Russia or enrich the west. Trump wasn't elected then, but Zelensky was already trying to link the minerals to support for the war. Of course, to be fair, he could have been influenced by the Sen Lindsey Graham who gave a morally bankrupt interview claiming the war was about money, and the Ukrainians were fighting and dying so the US could get the economic benefits of the minerals. There is a couple of pro-war think tanks who also made similar arguments around the same time frame. I think where Trump innovated was he linked the offer as a repayment of past US support, whereas Zelensky & Co hoped it would secure future US support.

Possibly, for all the (weirdly) public advice Zelensky was getting to trick or influence Trump by bribery, he never really had a chance with Trump. The whole impeachment of Trump was based on a call that Trump made to Zelensky back in 2019. Trump may have never forgiven Zelensky for his role in that.

*Re the mineral wealth - as I understand it, there isn't much Ukraine can offer. Much of the known reserves are held by the Russians already, and those that remain and are economically viable already have private owners. I don't think Trump or the US ever really put much value on them - Vance bringing paperwork to a meeting to ask Zelensky to sign there and then is non-serious. It had to be a deliberate attempt to humiliate Zelensky.

Ukraine doesn't have any allies though. Plenty of people willing to sell them weapons, or exploit them but what country is going to war for them?

At the end of the day, the whole linkage of support for Ukraine to economic benefits to the backers is morally dubious, and actually works against Ukraine. Whatever resources Ukraine can offer, Russia can offer more so if backers are motivated by economic gain they're going to make deals with Russia, not Ukraine.

Which is pretty much what the US is doing now.

Watching Trump's speech from Miami live and he is repeating his Truth Social post word for word, including calling Zelensky a 'dictator'.

South Korea are another country showing up to be spineless.

Ukraine had to fight off and push back North Korean soldiers all on its own.