Ukraine
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True. Though on the flip side, the Ukrainians are probably focused on the own death and destruction in their country.
Monty Python comes to mind.
Link to videoIt's all so senseless, and because of the actions of one man.
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Keir Starmer has said he is prepared to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia – acknowledging it could put UK forces “in harm’s way” if Vladimir Putin launches another attack.
It is understood to be the first time the prime minister has explicitly stated he is considering deploying British peacekeepers to Ukraine. The comments came just before emergency talks with European leaders in Paris on Monday.
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Trump asking Ukraine for minerals is typical. He's given less military aid than Europe and if you count humanitarian and financial then half as much.
Meanwhile there's the real worry that he negotiates something which has the same result as his Afghanistan deal. Biden inherited it and it collapsed.
Ukraine has been given just enough weapons not to lose.
Putin must be rubbing his hands together in glee at this sudden possibility to keep face, and Crimea, Donbas etc.We should be supplying and arming Ukraine with the aim of winning, regaining territory and taking easy Russian land; basically doing everything we can except providing our professional front line fighters.
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I'm about ready to lose it. What planet is he from? Can Elon send him to Mars?
President Donald Trump mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a poor negotiator and “grossly incompetent” Tuesday, as tensions continued to rise over the administration’s direct talks with Russia about ending the war it launched nearly three years ago.
Asserting that the initial round of talks had gone “very well,” Trump bristled at Zelenskyy’s frustration over being excluded and at the Ukrainian president’s decision not to fly to Riyadh for additional talks with the U.S. delegation this week.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited,’” Trump said when asked about criticism from Ukraine, seeming to direct his response to Zelenskyy. “Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it — three years. You should have never been there. You should have never started it. You should have made a deal.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/18/trump-blames-zelenskyy-ukraine-war-020517
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Historical allusions are always fraught. It's 2025, not 1938. On the other hand, negotiating the dismemberment of another country without that country at the table is a rather bad practice.
Something about a piece of paper that bears his name and mine ...
Link to video -
Ukrainians are not amused. And they're rallying behind Zelinskyy.
And Europe responds.
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Interview with Radosław Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland. Occurred during the Munich Conference.
Link to videoInterview with Radosław Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland. Occurred during the Munich Conference.
Link to videoAnne Applebaum interview on Fresh Air. Conversations in her household must be pretty interesting. She's married to Sikorski...
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Ukraine could win if Europe committed to fixing the Russian problem.
Instead it seems the will and consensus is not yet present; not yet seen as vital.It's all too easy to slag off Trump(CF) for his ridiculous comments that Zelensky started the war and that Zelensky is a dictator.
But what is Europe going to do regarding the war? There's no point us whinging about the demented stream of consciousness emanating from the brain of Trump(CF).
We need European leaders to agree on a coherent, viable plan. -
Pity we don't have someone as courageous as this as our president.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday he would be willing to resign from his post in exchange for peace in Ukraine or NATO membership.
“If it is peace for Ukraine, and if you really want me to leave my post, I’m ready,” Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian. “Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership, if such conditions exist, immediately, so we don’t have lengthy discussions. I’m focusing on Ukraine’s security today, not in 20 years. And I don’t intend to stay in power for decades.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/zelenskyy-presidency-peace-nato-rcna193364
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Zelensky is standing firm.
President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back at the U.S.’ demand for a $500 billion fund to be financed with Ukrainian natural resource revenue, saying that the U.S.’s aid grants are not debts, during the Ukraine: Year 2025 forum in Kyiv on Feb. 23.
Negotiations on a deal to entrench U.S. interests in Ukraine's reserves are ongoing, with the latest draft presented by the White House demanding $500 billion of Ukraine’s natural resources, including critical minerals, to recuperate American aid to Ukraine.
Zelensky said that he will not recognize such a large sum since it vastly outweighs the $100 billion the U.S. has sent to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.
The president added that the aid given to Ukraine cannot be counted as debts since they are grants and stressed that security guarantees need to be included in the deal. So far no such guarantees have been put in place, he said.
“I am not signing something that will be paid by 10 generations of Ukrainians," Zelensky said, adding that he wants a dialogue with Trump.
The initial White House proposal sought a 50% interest in Ukraine’s natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas, as well as critical infrastructure and ports. Zelensky said Ukraine is not ready to “split 50/50 without knowing what’s ahead.”
The Ukrainian leader also pointed out that the U.S. proposed to return future aid with an interest of 1:2. “For every U.S. dollar, Ukraine must return two. In simple terms, this is 100% of the loan,” he said.
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Biden didn't send more than 100 billion? I'd like to see an accounting.
The money Biden had for Ukraine and Israel and Trump has for Israel in comparison to Biden and now Trump not spending money in the US for the benefit of Americans is arguably disgusting.
I've said this before and nobody here wanted to believe me then and nobody will probably want to believe me now but it's a proxy war.
It has wrought plenty of death and destruction and should come to an end in my opinion.
