Ukraine

[Daniel]

I remember a National Geographic cover from a long time ago. I think it said-- Ukraine, Bread Basket of the World.

The shirtless man on the cover harvesting wheat had nothing to do with my interest in it./ leaving

[wtg]

Interview with Radosław Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland. Occurred during the Munich Conference.

Link to video

[wtg]

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

[Piano*Dad]

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

[wtg]

Ukrainians are not amused. And they're rallying behind Zelinskyy.

https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-volodymyr-zelenskyy-president-ukraine-russia-war-white-house/

And Europe responds.

https://www.politico.eu/article/west-crisis-coalition-donald-trump-volodymyr-zelenskyy-emmanuel-macron-ukraine-war/

[wtg]

@wtg said in Ukraine:

Interview with Radosław Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland. Occurred during the Munich Conference.

Link to video

Anne Applebaum interview on Fresh Air. Conversations in her household must be pretty interesting. She's married to Sikorski...

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/19/g-s1-49659/journalist-describes-trumps-movements-as-a-regime-change-towards-authoritarianism

[Daniel]

Elon can't send anyone to Mars and let's be honest his first attempt should be himself.

[Daniel]

The ones who aren't already corpses might be.

[Daniel]

Ukraine can't win. No, don't reply. Wait six months and find out for yourself.

[AndyD]

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.