Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

a russian blew up a boat transporting American jet fuel and he did nothing…..he will do nothing in response to russian aggression

The two main reasons for taking Kursk was it would draw Russian forces away from Ukraine and that it could later be a bargaining chip.

There was point in holding it for bargaining anymore as Trump is compromised, but it serve in drawing Russian forces from elsewhere.

It will remain an active front but if starlink was vital in taking Kursk Musk could have compromised it months ago.

can’t make this up

Asked in Shannon airport what US is doing about Russia

“We not giving them arms…”

Has anyone asked about intelligence or ammunition?

Different slant from the beeb here:

Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees fighting in Ukraine must end but says plan has to "lead to long-term peace" and "remove root causes of crisis"

So - next thing is to decipher this statement into donaldese .. as in what is putin, behind this statement, manipulating trump with. He has said it this way for a reason. To "help" channel trumps next move

This piece at the beeb says what i said above but better :D

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cgj5w6veqw6t?at_ptr_name=twitter&at_format=link&at_medium=social&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_campaign_type=owned&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_link_id=8E1014F8-0026-11F0-994D-EC03BF948085&at_link_type=web_link&at_link_origin=BBCBreaking&post=asset%3A85fcdd84-11ab-4497-a30e-75e3b363da5f#post

"Big question is how White House will interpret Putin's statement"

Putin’s stance on a ceasefire in Ukraine shows that, after three years of war, the Kremlin is more than capable of practicing clever diplomacy.

On the one hand, he appeared to respond positively to the US proposal for an immediate halt to hostilities.

A direct “no” would have strained relations between the Kremlin and the White House - ties that have only recently begun to improve and, in recent weeks, have largely worked in Moscow’s favour.

On the other hand, agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire, from the Kremlin’s perspective, could weaken Russia’s position on the battlefield.

Putin’s words, along with his unannounced visit yesterday to the Kursk region - where he made a rare appearance in military uniform - reinforced that battlefield success remains a priority for Moscow.

The big question now is how the White House will interpret Putin’s statement: as an invitation to negotiate, or an attempt to derail Trump’s peace efforts.

It also remains unclear how far the White House is willing to go to persuade Ukraine to accept Russia’s demands.

Trump has warned that rejecting a ceasefire would bring “devastating consequences” for Russia.

What exactly that means - and what leverage the U.S. is prepared to use in its dealings with Moscow - remains a mystery.

More to the point - how would putin like trump to interpret this to putins advantage.

The 'legitimate' fear many have is that Putin and Trump have already worked out a deal over Ukraine and this is staging to fool Ukraine and the West that they are in conflict. Anyway any deal with Putin would be a Russian one and torn up whenever it suits.

Tanks look like old hat at this stage. The one item I would not like to be tasked with in a war. One lad in a bush with a Javelin or a drone and you're in serious bother and thats against an army that wasn't fully resourced or have air power. If you add in being cannon fodder for a fighter jet or attack helicopter or good old land mine and its a near suicide mission.

Tanks are too big, too slow and vunerable to high tech weapons of an organised army nowadays. There is still a place but lighter more nimble fast firing, armour look to be where it is going. Perhaps automated too.

If I'm reading this correctly, Ukraine gets absolutely no security guarantee further than what it can muster for itself during the armistice, however long that lasts.

So basically Russia doesn’t need to concede anything, they get to hold onto the land they’ve seized, Ukraine can’t join NATO and can’t have any protection from Russias next attack, as they inevitably will.

Meanwhile Trump will expect Ukraine to hand over billions of rare minerals. Sounds a great deal, how can Ukraine refuse?

just another case of I'm afraid…

Well…

Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees fighting in Ukraine must end but says plan has to "lead to long-term peace" and "remove root causes of crisis"

Plan to take out Putin - root cause sorted.

Looks like we might have a fit for those assessments that the Orcs are gearing up to test article 5.

Returning to the situation in the Baltic states, the Polish press reports significant Russian troop movements that could pose a threat to Poland's borders.

According to PolskieRadio, satellite data shows that Russian troops, planes and naval units are stationed near the border of the Baltic states and Finland, about 250 km east of Finland's capital, Helsinki.

Tens of thousands of soldiers, pilots and sailors are stationed at the gates of the Finnish capital, writes TVP, which notes that these forces belong to the Leningrad Military District, a structure that was reactivated in 2024, immediately after Finland joined NATO.

In addition, Russia would also have at its disposal the forces located in the Kaliningrad region to carry out military actions targeting the Suwalki Corridor.

"Russia still wants to maintain control over the Suwałki gap, which means an attack on NATO territories," Viljar Veebel, who has been researching Baltic defense at the OECD and Estonia's National Defense College for years, told German website The Pioneer.

The Suwalki corridor, which is only 65 kilometers wide, is the only land border between Poland and Lithuania.

If Russia were to take control, it could isolate Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, making logistical support more difficult and exposing supply lines to attack. NATO could only supply the Baltic states through the Baltic Sea, a logistical nightmare for the Alliance.