Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

Gas and defense stock prices falling somewhat - amazingly some seem to have some faith in Putin accepting an edited plan

(Assuming it gets confirmed….) you're right, and yet another Russian escalation. I am seeing it as a bit of a failing of democracies around the world (not just Europe), a slowness to react and a caution that is all a bit too reminiscent of the 1930s and build up to a global war. Not sure what the solution is, as a lot of it is down to the nature of democratic government.

Looking at another party somewhat affected by this (the Russia-NK alliance), SK were (and still are) quite cadgey about helping Ukraine militarily so as not to anger Russia and possibly see them transferring technology to the North, as well as raw materials, food etc.

Their caution didn't matter in the end. Putin had no qualms going cap in hand to NK and roping them in. God knows what is going on now as regards serious Russian/NK military cooperation and how it could affect South Korea's own security in future.

Reports of 30,000 NK troops.

Ukraine has to fight two armies on its own. Shane on America and Trump.

Ukraine is fighting with one arm tied behind its back with not being able to use certain missiles and not being able to use foreign army supports. Don’t mean foreign boots on the ground but having aerial defence

if Russia conquer it does anyone really believe they'll stop?

may I present to you exhibit A. (Point 6 from the Russian demand plan_

6. The size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be limited to 600,000 personnel.

If Russia promises to never invade Ukraine again, even if Ukraine sign this surrender deal, why then would point 6 be required? or matter?

That map is hilarious given that it makes it sound like Myrnograd is entirely surrounded, when in reality Ukraine managed to keep some supply lines open by pushing Russians back to the north of the city. Another neutral source ?

Also, why would any Ukrainian believe Russia would allow them to leave ? Do you think people have forgotten when they offered the same to civilians fleeing Kharkiv or Irpin and then shelled the convoys, or when they let people leave but didn't tell them the road they had to use was mined ?

Our Orwell road poster will never criticise Russia

They also offered "routes to safety" from Mariupol and then mined them. And safe passage from Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from Illovaisk in 2014 who were then massacred. The truth is a foreign country to Putin.

What has to be borne in mind is that Putin doesn’t live in a rule of law country and sees all that as namby-pamby nonsense. Any agreement he signs is a temporary manoeuvre aimed at securing advantage. Once he’s ready for more war he can simply stage a bombing event on his own soil, claim it was Ukraine and start up again.

If I was shaking Putins hands I would think of all the slaughter those hands have signed off on. Its sickening. He should be admitted….to the Hague for his trial.

Reports from Sky that some of the more outrageous proposals have been watered down or dropped. The plan is now a 19 point plan.

Keith Kellogg, the U.S. Special Envoy involved in shaping proposals to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, stated that negotiations have entered a phase of unusually close progress.

Russia's oil refineries have taken an absolute hammering over the last few months, Ukraine now seems to focus on energy infrastructure though to punish Russians like they are suffering themselves.

Yesterday they hit the Shatura power plant near Moscow, causing a large fire.

Kremlin rejects European counter-proposal to US peace plan for Ukraine

Lol apparently not.

Though its hard to know what's going on.

If you look carefully at the language when Putin himself was asked about the original Russian offer from Kirill Dmitriev, somehow packaged up as the US plan. his words were that the peace plan "could be the basis of a final peace settlement". Many news outlets reported this as some breakthrough with Putin being open to peace on highly favoured Russian terms. But I firmly believe they're just plain wrong and this is Putin's usual schtick.

It echoes of the early few weeks of the Trump presidency when he was trying to force a ceasefire and Putin said something along the lines of he "Agreed with ceasefire but with some nuances".

Fully translated I strongly believe that it means "Go f*ck yourself, we want everything". But Trump is desperate for a political win at the moment with the kiddy fiddling scandal in full gear so he was willing to bite on anything. He almost certainly didn't even read a single point of the plan. As much as people here hate him (and I've no love for him either) I truly believe that Marco Rubio diffused this bomb(so far). He's clearly an intelligent guy and has no love for the Russians. But he's constrained by the environment around him.

So the Europeans come back with a peace plan which looks reasonable on paper knowing full well the Russians will never accept it. Rubio presents it to Trump who gets all excited and again the Russians will be the ones to turn it down.

Putin's war aims have never changed. Not a single Iota. He hasn't thrown a million men into a dumpster fire, erased 60-70% of his old soviet stockpile, kneecapped the Russian economy for a generation and essentially wiped out their standing on the world stage for what? A few extra percent of demolished Ukrainian territory?

I don't think Putin can accept a ceasefire. If Ukraine were suicidal , decided to take down their castle walls and pull out of the Donbas I fully believe that Putin would either roll forward immediately or be ready to go again in a year. He's an old man and it's likely he'll be dead in 5 years. This was his shot. Europe and Ukraine are never going to give him terms which let him take another one.

The Russian neo nazi paramilitary group Rusich shows its depravity again.