Russian Foreign Policy

Itchy said:
Powerful contribution and assessment of the new paradigm by Volodymyr Zelenskyy a
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yes I saw that he is the real leader of the West now, not Trump or Vance or Hegseth (already a diminished figure). He has already stood upto Putin now he is standing up to Trump and the maga idiots and saying what he will not accept. He said he wants concrete security guarantees before negotiations can commence and will only deal with Putin for final agreement not russian officials. The fact that Trump has now layed out his stall and has already started the ball rolling on negotiations means he can't just walk away now. Also the fact that Putin said he wants to start negotiations means he also can't walk away. The fact that Trump effectively took NATO off the table means he has to now come up with credible security guarantees.

Also the way Zelensky calls a spade a spade telling Trump "I told President Trump , he is lying" when referring to Putin.
Also a great speech by Boris Pistorious the german defence guy pushing back against Vance and rejecting completely what Vance said (to applause) so it looks like european leaders are not going to take any more crap from Trump or Vance et al
 
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Itchy said:
Powerful contribution and assessment of the new paradigm by Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference.
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Excellent speech alright. Right now, with the players involved, a straight talker is what is needed and he certainly is a straight talker. However, even just reading the responses by those in attendance to the varying parts of his speech does show the challenges he and Europe faces. When he says Europe needs to speak with one voice, not 16 different voices, there was loud applause. However when he talked about one united army to defend Europe and show strength the applause was a much smaller. When he referred to Europe having to be able to portray itself as a strong continent and an equal ally to the US as otherwise, instead of Brussels it would be Moscow, there was an audible gasp. It's time now for other European leaders to step up to the plate to match his courage and strength.
 
A Korean style truce along existing lines seems inevitable. Just as Sabrina recommended about 2 years ago, but was torn asunder. How many lives have been sacrificed since?
 
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Duke of Marmalade said:
A Korean style truce along existing lines seems inevitable. Just as Sabrina recommended about 2 years ago, but was torn asunder. How many lives have been sacrificed sin
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There was no prospect of a ceasefire or a Korean style truce 2 years ago, Putin was still doubling down and looking for total Ukranian surrender, remember he had just mobilised and forcibly drafted in more recruits aswell as annexing the four eastern provinces which he still does not fully control.
The only reason why Putin belatedly may actually now agree to stop the war is because of the huge losses the russian military and economy has suffered over the last 2 years and that he knows the russian people won't tolerate another mobilisation and are now sick of the war so he has been affectively forced to the table
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
How many lives have been sacrificed since?
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How many lives will be sacrificed afterwards?
How many futures will be stolen?
How many voices will be silenced?
How many parents will disappear?
How many areas will be ethnically cleansed as the Russians are doing now in the regions they occupy?
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Korean style truce along existing
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Half way there, North Koreans on one side of it already, although not sure if many are left there.
The police in Moscow are probably better equipped than the troops in Ukraine. They make sure the people stay in line. Even if they get rid of Putin, who's going to replace him. If the armed forces turn on him, they'll install someone similar.
 
A letter in the IT today calls for a European defence against Vlad but says we should not have a nuclear deterrent.
Time to apply to be America's cherished 51st state before Canada beats us to it.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
A letter in the IT today calls for a European defence against Vlad but says we should not have a nuclear deterrent.
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We, as in Ireland, shouldn't have a Nuclear deterrent, but the EU should. I'd far rather be part of a EU military organisation than
a) be attacked by Russia and not be able to do anything about it,
b) be partially occupied by the Americans in a future conflict with Russia or
c) have to sign away our economic future in order to remain partially free just like Ukraine is being asked to do now.
 
joe sod said:
Also the way Zelensky calls a spade a spade telling Trump "I told President Trump , he is lying" when referring to Putin.
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And Trump just described Zelensky as "a dictator without elections" and said that he better move fast or would have no country left. (from RTE).
 
Regarding the issue in Ukraine and the threat of tariffs, how about we (the EU) simply buy a shed-load of military from the US? The tariffs would go away and for the first time since WWII we might be able to defend ourselves?
 
Firefly said:
Regarding the issue in Ukraine and the threat of tariffs, how about we (the EU) simply buy a shed-load of military from the US? The tariffs would go away and for the first time since WWII we might be able to defend ourselves?
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The problem with purchasing US military kit, now, is that 1) capabilities of advanced tech are throttled (and likely compromised e.g. encrypted communications) depending on the type of "ally" the purchaser is and 2) the state manufacturer of the kit retains a veto on where and how the kit can be used in conflicts. This was despicably used by Germany and Switzerland in the early stages of the invasion, preventing Poland and the Baltics transferring kit to Ukraine. Now that the US has (in three weeks!) irrevocably damaged its alliances, purchasing military kit, certainly some kit such as fighter jets would be a missed opportunity to swell the European economy. Better to keep billions in spending within the EU. Buy his energy, sure, our supply chains will diversify over time.

Trump also said he would impart "reciprocal tariffs". Does that not mean we're in the driving seat? Slap tariffs on our strategic manufacturing and lower them where we have competitive advantages.
 
Persia said:
Trumps gone full out rogue. Completely in thrall to Putin. This is next level GUBU 101.
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But you really gotta hand it to him. Diehard Republicans like "Little Marco" (you know the guy with small hands and other bits) swallowing his vomit shaking hands with Sergey.
What a bully! Anybody comes across him he strikes out like a 10 year old - now poor Zelensky is a comedian with only 4% support, and a dictator.
Is this shaping up for an assassination by his own party ala Julius Caesar? They are all cow-towing to him but they must be really dreading the mid terms.
 
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Itchy said:
The problem with purchasing US military kit
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The problem with not purchasing it is that their integrated systems are so more advanced than anyone else's. Until the EU has it's own military satellite system etc, until we actually take this seriously, we're stuck with US kit.

When I say "we" I mean the grown-ups who actually take their own defence seriously and understand that the world is what it is, not what we'd like it to be. That obviously excludes petulant, childish, virtue signalling, hypocritical Ireland.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
this shaping up for an assassination by his own party ala Julius Caesar? They are all cow-towing to him but they must be really dreading the mid terms.
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Id say he is losing credibility rapidly with this latest outburst against zelensky and love in with Putin. Will the republican party block him if he attempts to stop military aid for Ukraine, after all the majority of the house support Ukraine, it's only the minority like trump that don't. By taking on zelensky trump has an opponent that he can't put down like all the others. He is obviously very jealous of zelensky because zelensky rightly steals the limelight because unlike trump he is a true hero. Be interesting to hear what Boris Johnson has to say about all this?
 
Firefly said:
I think everyone is afraid to criticise him. I'm coming to the realisation that in the US there are now 3 parties - Democrats, Republicans and Trump MAGA
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The Republican Party is gone. It's now a religion based around the idolisation of Trump. The sycophantic praising of him by politicians and business leaders is reminiscent of the way the North Koreans talk about their Beloved Leader. The US is now behaving like a 19th Century colonial power. Maybe it always did but now it is just being open about it.
 
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