.

According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 32% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance on inflation. The share of Americans who disapprove of his presidency has risen to 51% in the latest poll, compared with 41% after he took office.

Also, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy observed that Trump was living in a “disinformation space” in blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion and declaring that his approval rate was only 4% instead of the 58% registered by recent polls.

.

Polls. After all their mistakes, I'm surprised that anyone believes them. I suppose they are of comfort to some people if they publish results that they want to hear.

Russia invaded Ukraine because a) they are a bunch of Nazis and, b) the threat of Ukraine becoming a NATO country against Russia's border wasn't welcome.

So, it could be said that Ukraine is responsible for the invasion. We need to realise that Ukraine has nothing to do with Australia, and neither does Russia; so who gives a toss which of them is at fault.

One thing that Trump said about Zelenskyy - that he is a dictator - is true.

But, Australians should not be bothering themselves about Ukraine. We should have no involvement with it at all.

While it might be in the public interest to support our geopolitical partner Taiwan against Chinese aggression, and in doing so uphold freedom of navigation for our vital sea transport routes, wading into Ukraine is a mindless own-goal for Australian politicians.

Dutton's ‘Australia stands with Ukraine’ is baloney. He needs to be concentrating on things concerning Australians this close to an election.

I was quite taken with these words of wisdom;:

“Australia doesn’t have to pick a side in every, or any, global conflict. Ukraine is riddled with the same Nazi ideology we defeated in the second world war. Russia is a totalitarian regime with communist roots that we had defeated by the end of the Cold War. Neither regime remotely resonates with Australian or Western values”. (anon]

.

Dear ttbn,

.

You wrote :

« Russia invaded Ukraine because a) they are a bunch of Nazis and, b) the threat of Ukraine becoming a NATO country against Russia's border wasn't welcome»
.

That's Russian propaganda, ttbn.

There were neo-Nazis on both sides of the fence – in both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine was not threatening to become a member of NATO. Russia’s invasion prompted Ukraine to re-seek membership of NATO.

In 2010 the Ukrainian parliament voted to abandon the goal of NATO membership and re-affirm Ukraine's neutral status. That was the situation when Russia invaded Crimea in February 2014. Ukraine had no intention of becoming a member of NATO at the time. It continued to remain neutral.

Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

In late November 2013, Ukrainians took to the streets in peaceful protest after then-president Viktor Yanukovych chose not to sign an agreement that would have integrated the country more closely with the European Union.

As the protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square, or Maidan, continued into 2014, the government began cracking down on the demonstrators. The size of the protests grew in reaction and turned into what was termed “the revolution of dignity.” Those who remained on the Maidan risked assault, kidnapping, unlawful arrest, and loss of their jobs.

On January 16, the government introduced a series of repressive laws severely restricting civil society and the right to protest. On January 22, the first protesters were killed in clashes in Kyiv; in all, over 100 mostly civilian protesters died, the majority on February 20 and 21.

On February 22, after President Yanukovych had fled the country, parliament voted to oust him and hold new elections, but the new government did not seek to change its neutral status.

Russia then occupied and annexed Crimea, and in August 2014 Russia's military invaded eastern Ukraine to support its separatist proxies.

Because of this, in December 2014 Ukraine's parliament voted to end its neutral status, and in 2018 it voted to enshrine the goal of NATO membership in the Constitution.

.

If the Ukraine had become a NATO member Putin would not have been game to invade.
He invaded to get in first, simple as that.
Where will he stop, the Polish border ? Maybe, maybe not.

"According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 32% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance on inflation. "

Yeah, I know. Its a disgrace. Trump's been in power now for a whole month and he hasn't fixed inflation yet!! What's he doing? Struth, these people. Things are going so well for Trump and MAGA and the country, that they'll latch onto any old piece of rubbish.

Meanwhile Rasmussen reports that Trump's overall approval rating is 52%, that and for the first time in 20years a plurality think the country is headed in the right direction. Pay ya money, pick ya poll.

BTW, did anyone notice that, as concerns the only poll that counts, Trump won?

As to Ukraine, what I find fascinating is that, for years people have whined that the war is futile and must be stopped, but that, as soon as Trump provides light at the end of the tunnel, they suddenly demur. Of course, we all know that the claims to want to stop the war were just virtue signalling and in reality they were only interested in it stopping on terms favourable to their chosen side.

Trump is putting America first - pity we couldn't get Australian politicians to do the same for us - and he is cleaning out scumbags who have been giving away US taxpayers’ money to bad people, not just Ukraine.

$100 million has been dispensed to terrorists, or aid swallowers linked to terrorism, mainly through USAID.

But they won't stop the loony Left from trying to paint President Trump as the bad guy.

Trump is wildly popular with the majority of Americans; that’s why he is President. And most of them would not give a FF about the thoughts of some lefty sitting in his underpants in front of a computer thousands of miles away, even if they knew he and hard Left Australia still existed (just) as an English speaking country at the bottom of the world.

Zelensky, always out of Ukraine, running around the world while Ukrainians are being killed, conned the Biden wet administration out of $350 billion. And he wants more for a stupid war that shows no sign of coming to an end. Even MSM is bored.

Trump is sick of it . Vice President Vance says he doesn't particularly care about Ukraine. They weren't elected by the American people to care about foreign country's remote from, and irrelevant, to themselves. Trump made it clear, throughout his campaign, that he was putting America first, and wasn't going to involve the US in foreign affairs of no importance to the US.

Knowing that, Americans elected him as their President.

The problem with Trump for the Left is that they are not used to a politician doing what he says he will do.

In Ukraine, at the moment, the press is nobbled, and the people don't get a say. It is a dictatorship - pure and simple.

Zelensky is a lunatic. His attempts to “litigate” Trump publicly will not wash with Trump. And, let's remember, the lunatic very publicly declared against Trump before Americans elected Trump in a landslide. Not quite the way to do things when you want money from the US.

And, it appears, only 16% of Ukrainians back Zelensky. That should be enough even for people suffering from Trump Syndrome to get the message.

Ukraine is a European country. Let the Europeans stick their beaks in if they wish. Those of us in the ‘new world’ have Communist China to deal with, and only the US can handle it. But it has to shake off the dags who have nothing in common with the West and its values.

So many things I need to add to / correct / put in the right perspective here.
Just not sure I have the time to go through it all right now.

Zelensky is toast after what Trump and Musk posted yesterday.

http://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1892246551634096131
http://x.com/elonmusk/status/1892302521747542455
http://x.com/search?q=David%20Sacks%20Gonzalo%20Lira&src=typed_query

I used to watch Gonzalo Lira now and again, and posted about his passing here on the forum.

2022.05.16 Why The Wolfowitz Doctrine Inevitably Leads To World War
http://youtu.be/WA5ReEf3vtY
RIP Gonzalo Lira.

You can say what you want about Trump, but the following is probably the most important reason to back him above all others:

Trump proposes nuclear deal with Russia and China to halve defense budgets
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/13/trump-nuclear-russia-china

"Donald Trump said that he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China and that eventually he hopes all three countries could agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half."

The Biden administration was taking us towards nuclear war.
Thankfully that threat has now been drastically reduced due to diplomacy and dialogue.

Unless your families have experienced the true horror
of totalitarian regimes it may be difficult to comprehend
the reality and you may not understand why people fear and
fight against occupation, forced enslavementr their freedoms.

All that we can do is try to ensure that history will not be
allowed to be repeated.

We can no longer assume that the most powerful nation will
continue to stand for peace and justice. The current US
President is of great concern - if he stand by a dictaor
instead of a freedom fighter fighting for his people's
freedom and basic human rights.

.

Here is an insight to the true reason for Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine
.

Article by Vladimir Putin ”On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians“
July 12, 2021
17:00
.

http://colloquydowneast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Putin-On-the-Historical-Unity-of-Russians-and-Ukrainians.pdf

.

Trump is smarter than meets the eye ! That war is as good as concluded ! So much misery & so much death ending !

2022.05.04 What Are NGO's? What Are PMC's?
http://youtu.be/hSN85dsx4XY

I simply can't understand a US President supporting the invasion
of a totalitarian regime over a nation's fight for its
freedom With China sailing so close to Sydney - this should
concern us.

The US Constitution has guaranteed the individual certain
fundamental rights and protections. Their laws are based on
the principle that law serves the individual, not the state.
and that state political interests cannot outweigh the
interests of the individual, who stands in law as a free
man.

In contrast, V.I. Lenin made it clear that, in his political
philosophy law has one primary goal :

"A law is a political measure. It is politics". No Soviet
authority or communist leader has abandoned this concept.
It has been applied to the territories "liberated" by
the Bolsheviks during the October revolution. In the
captive nations by the Red Army during WWII, and to the
lands won by military force or "wars of liberation"
in Asia, Africa, the Far East, and the Caribbean.

The American Revolution was fought to establish a man's
right to liberty and to restrain the power of his rulers.
The American Revolution thus created a concept of law
which was, and is, foreign to the system resulting from
the Bolshevik Revolution in communist controlled lands.

The distinction is one between freedom, control and
domination of the state over the individual.

Putin's perception of the law should be so repulsive to
an American president that the specter of Lenin's concept
of law would be unacceptable to the legal traditions
of Western democracies and the United States.

" At all times, vigilance is the price of liberty. We
must remain vigilant because while it might be someone
else today, it might be us further down the road years
from now. The measure of our society over history is
our fidelity to our principles. We must remind our
government and our people to remain faithful to those
principles or otherwise our society, like so many in
our past, will be swept on the ash heap of history".
( David E. Springer).

"I simply can't understand a US President supporting the invasion
of a totalitarian regime over a nation's fight for its
freedom"

That's not what's happening at all. If you ever get around to trying to understand Trump's policies (yeh I know... never gunna happen) you'd see that the attitude to this and all the other foreign wars Biden and Obama got the US embroiled in, is much more nuanced.

Its not about supporting Russia's invasion. Trump doesn't do or say that. But its about recognising that this isn't the USA's fight.

Why should America have to defend Ukraine? Its the other side of the world with no US vital interests at stake. IF anyone's interests are at issue here, its Europe's. But they step back and let the US do the heavy lifting, and then criticise America for it.

Trump told the EU 8 years ago to increase their military spnding and reduce their reliance on Russian energy exports. They laughed at him. They rejected his advice and they cheered when he was pushed out of office. And when it all went pear-shaped they demanded the US bale them out. And Biden, who was receiving all sorts of bribes from Ukraine, obliged.

Trump won't oblige. This isn't America's fight. This has nothing to do with America unless you think America should again become the world's policeman.

Trump is president of the USA. His responsibility is to the USA, its people and its economic welfare. That's his ONLY responsibility. The US isn't required morally or legally to defend Ukraine (or Lithuania).

The American people voted for this and they are getting what they want. The Europeans treat the US with disdain and then whine when it comes back to bite them. Too bad.

In 2023, the US spent $860 billion on defence, dwarfing the combined defence budgets of all European Nato allies.

Now, Trump is using the Ukraine-Russia war to encourage Western countries to spend more on their own defence.

If Trump's plan for a ceasefire is rejected , as Ukraine's Little Dictator said it would be, the war will continue with the US walking away and taking its funding with it.

Then, it is forecast, Europe will be in real trouble, having to confront Russia without the will or the military capacity needed. Starmer has said the would send troops, but it’s unlikely that he would if the US walks away.

I told you all over 18mths ago that Ukraine was going to lose.
Anyone who paid attention knew the 2023 counter-offensive was not likely to succeed.
They advertised their plans in advance and Russia prepared strong defensive positions.
The plan was never really about Ukraine winning the war.
The plan was for the west to use the war to justify placing nation crippling sanctions on Russia that would lead to a political crisis and Putin's ousting.
Russia weathered the storm, has become much closer with China and is now much stronger militarily than when they started the war.

Ukraine has lost a million men in this war, and there is no way they can win or recapture lost territory.
Trump has to make a deal, or else there will soon be a complete collapse of the Ukrainian armed forces, at which point Russia will set terms.

The United States has been a member of NATO since 1949.
NATO is a military alliance that was formed to counter
the Soviet Union during the Cold War. When the Cold War
ended NATO was re-conceived as a "cooperative security
organization.".

NATO'S primary purpose today is to provide securityand
defense cooperation among its members.

Members of NATO support democracy over autocracy.At least
that used to be the case with the United States.
Not so sure if that remains the case under the current US
administration.

Scott Horton : How DC Provoked the New Cold War
http://www.youtube.com/live/ILbF51oQEWM

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine - 690 pages
http://www.amazon.com.au/Provoked-Washington-Started-Catastrophe-Ukraine/dp/1733647376
"Over and over, U.S. government officials and their mainstream media allies called Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine an “unprovoked attack.” The slogan became so overused that people began to ask the obvious question: Why do they protest so much?

In Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine, Scott Horton explains how since the end of the last Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, successive U.S. administrations pressed their advantage against the new Russian Federation to the point that it finally blew up into a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.

From NATO expansion into Eastern Europe, to “shock therapy” economic policy, the Balkan and Chechen wars, color-coded revolutions, new missile defense systems, assassinations, Russiagate and ultimately the brutal conflict in Ukraine, Provoked shows what really happened and why it did not have to be this way."

You people need to stop listening to why the lying US funded USAID news tells you what to think, and start looking at their own policy papers.

Brian Berletic: Peace with Russia and Defunding the Deep State - Retreat or Reviving the Empire?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbpPQgJvntw
"If you stop and think what democracy actually should mean not not what people believe it means it is a process of self-determination so if a foreign country is is giving money and boosting groups in a particular country to promote democracy it is actually foreign interference"

* USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and the NED (National Endowment for Democracy)

MAX Blumenthal : Zelenskyy on the Ropes
http://www.youtube.com/live/0QOayjUU4NE

* USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and the NED (National Endowment for Democracy)

I've been telling you lot for years, but none of you listen.

We should all refuse to allow the Ukrainians or any
Europeans to come under the control of the Soviet regime.
We should not allow a US president to manipulate and
decide the fate of innocent sovereign nations for the
benefit of his own interests and power.

It is unbelievable that a US president ignores
his own country's traditions of doing what is right
and decent, And, instead works from the
playbook of Hitler. We all should stand by our principles
and the collective vision of democracy not autocracy.

We need to let them see that we will not allow them to
change our world into their hateful oligarchy. That it has
no place in our world. Let them know that we don't bow to
the purveyors of hate.

We don't give in to terrorists and we do not cower in fear.
They may have the money and power - but we have people power
and humanity. Giving Ukraine to Putin must simply not
be allowed to happen.

There's more at the following:

http://politico.eu/article/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskyy-united-states-russia-policy/

All existing USAID programs are divided into 5 key areas that are divided into separate projects:

Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (1.09 billion US dollars) ;
Economic development (USD 1) ;
Critical infrastructure ($1.4 billion) ;
Healthcare ($38.8 million) ;
Transition period and humanitarian aid (252 million dollars).

In the first key direction within the framework of the project "Medium Program in Ukraine " funds were received by:

National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine;
JSC "National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine";
NGO "Commission on Journalistic Ethics";
NGO "Internews-Ukraine";
NGO "Detector Media";
NGO "Institute Of Mass Information";
NGO "Ukrainska Pravda";
NGO "Hromadske TV";
NGO "Hromadske Radio";
NGO "Slidstvo.Info";
LLC "ZN UA";
LLC "IA "Ligabusinessinform";
Babel LLC;
Goldberry LLC;
LLC "Zapad.net";
NGO "Ukraine";
NGO "Garva Media";
NGO "Lental Media Development Agency "OR";
NGO "National Media Association";
NGO "Association of Free Journalists";
Association "Independent Regional Publishers Of Ukraine";
NGO "Medical Development Fund";
NGO "Mykolaiv Center for Investigative Journalism";
NGO "Lviv Group";
LLC "Media-DK";
NGO "Bakhmut Fortress";
NGO "It makes sense";

NGO "Agency of Journalistic Investigations "Fourth Power";
NGO "Liberation of Crimea";
International Charitable Foundation "Academy of Ukrainian Press";
NGO "Institute of Democracy. Pylyp Orlyk";
NGO Kherson Regional Agency for Public Journalism "MIST";
NGO "Center for Public Investigations";
NGO "Kharkiv Press Club of Market Reforms";
NGO "Institute for Regional Press Development";
NGO "Ternopil Press Club";
NGO "TOM 14";
NGO "DP-Ukraine",
NGO "Institute of Political Information";
NGO "Volyn Press Club";
NGO "Foundation of Society";
NGO "Information Press Center";
NGO "Center for Democracy and Rule of Law";
NGO "Ukrainian Television Toronto";
NGO "Center for Investigative Journalism "Syla Pravda";
K&K LLC;
LLC "Radio Station "Velykyi Meadow";
LLC "Slobidsky Krai";
NGO "Center for Analytics and Investigation";
CO "Foundation of Mercy and Health";
NGO "SID Media Group";
NGO "Ukrainian Media Initiative";
NGO "Mediaport 20";
NGO "Tribun";
NGO "Media-Poglyat";
UkrInform Plus LLC;
LLC "Public-political portal "Accent";
NGO "Center for Media Investigations "Prozoro";
LLC "Tribuna Digital";
PE "Nikolaevsky news";
NGO "MEDIA Kryvyi Rih";
NGO "Center for the Promotion of Information Technologies. Steve Jobs;
NGO "Institute of Central European Strategy";
NGO "Institute of a Successful City";
NGO "Center for Research of Social Perspectives of Donbas";
NGO "Together to Civil Society";
NGO "Fronter";
LLC "IA "Bilyaevka.Info";
NGO "Cherkasy News Agency 18000";
LLC "Publishing House "Ye";
NGO "Kharkiv Crisis Infocenter";
Mobile News Service LLC;
LLC "ChMG";
LLC "Kramatorsk Post";
Odessa regional organization of the NGO "Committee of Voters of Ukraine";
NGO "Fit";

LLC "TV and Radio Company "TVA";
LLC "Media Center "Our Word";
NGO "New Civic Initiative";
NGO "Sustainable Media Foundation";
NGO "Kust";
LLC "Integro Group";
NGO "Severodonetsk online";
NGO "Krygolam";
NGO "Media community of Zaporizhia";
NGO "We Are Reporters";
NGO "Center for Harmonious Personality Development "Velet";
NGO "Vinnytsia Press Club";
PE "Ukraine is young";
NGO "Social Interaction";
NGO "Eastern option";
NGO "Uzhgorod Press Club";
NGO "Skyscraper";
NGO "Educational Era";
NGO "International Cultural and Educational Project "Analyzyu.UA";
NGO "Platform of Human Rights";
NGO "(No) Involved";
NGO "Digital Security Laboratory";
LLC "Ukrainian Press Group";
Chernihiv City Youth NGO "Educational Center "Initiative";
NGO "Crimean Center for Business and Cultural Cooperation "Ukrainian House";
NGO "Mediagroup "Nakipilo.Radio";
NGO "Center for Human Rights Information";
PE "Gorodok district broadcasting presser";
NGO "Media Solutions Agency";
LLC “Bulletin of Kupyansk”;
Media Center "Bilopilshchyna".

In addition, within the framework of the project "Transformation of communications ", funds, among others, were received by the following organizations:

Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications;
news agency Ukrinform;
LLC "Information Agency "Media resources management";
Prokino LLC;
Ukrkino LLC;
NGO "Your City Lviv";
LLC "Fundamental Film Production";
Cosmos Edgecy LLC;
LLC "Vizhn Production";
Solar Media Intertametric LLC;
NGO "Eastern option";
State Institution "Ukrainian Institute";
NGO "Pro.Language Front";
435 Films LLC.

The recipients of other USAID projects were also, in particular, the Charitable Foundation "Democratic Initiatives. Ilka Kucheriva", NGO "Chestno Movement", NGO "Smart Media", NGO "Docudays", NGO "Krymsos" and others.

Also, within the framework of the project "Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure" and "Budrordination of Digital Transformation", a number of ministries, civil services, universities, etc. received funding. Among them are the Ministry of Digital Transformation, SE "National Information Systems", JSC "Prozoro.Sale", SE "Prozorro", SE "DIYA" and others.

.

Trump’s electoral promise was to settle the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. After he won the election, that became 100 days.

It’s been 108 days since the election, and he has still not settled it. Maybe it will be on the twelfth of never—and that’s a long, long time !

Why should he get involved anyway ?

Because as a signatory of the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, the US gave its assurance that “the independence and sovereignty of the [then] existing borders of Ukraine would be respected”. Russia and the UK signed on to that enthusiastically as well.

Those assurances played a key role in persuading the Ukrainian government in Kyiv to give up what amounted to the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal, consisting of some 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads following the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991.

However, a memorandum is just a moral engagement. It does not have force of law. If it were a treaty it would be enforceable under international law.

So, Trump, the trickster, switched sides and endorsed Putin’s claims following the Riyadh meeting in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russian diplomats – to which Ukraine was not invited.

When Zelensky complained, Trump retorted :

• that Zelznsky should have never started the war – [false: Putin started it]

• that Zelensky was a dictator with only a 4% approval rate – [false: it was a 58% approval rate]

• that the US had given $350 billion to Ukraine – [false: US gave $67 billion in weapons & $31.5 billion in budget support]

That seems to indicate that Putin wants Zelensky replaced by somebody whom Putin approves personally.

Trump’s mounting nervousness and frustration forebode the inextricable “mission impossible” he has now brought upon himself – unless, of course, Putin reciprocates and accepts to be replaced by somebody who has the personal approval of Zelensky.

Not likely ?

Well, you never know, maybe tricky old Trump has something else up his sleeve.

Hopefully, he'll save the last dance for Ukraine.

This is what Trump has us dancing to :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZEQ-44K_Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOCi107C-MQ

.

NATO is advised by its intelligence services that Putin will be ready in six months to take on western Europe.

Democrats are again turning to lawfare in their surly attempts to curtail Trump, who doesn’t care what other people think, says what he means, and does what he says.

The Democrats and their supporters simply cannot abide honesty and integrity. They are just like Albanese Labor. Injunctions against a man who won a landslide fairly and squarely are rife. To hell with democracy and what the people want is the Leftist way of doing things. If they can't govern, they do what they can to make a country ungovernable for anyone else. They enlist shameless, probably corrupt judges, to help them do it.

Judges who “troll” the public, and dare a democratically elected to reverse their interfering rulings.

In hick countries like Australia, the hick politicians back down: judges and the extreme Left win. Not in Trumpville they don't. Trump doesn't like woke-infected judges.

While Australian Prime Ministers, the creatures of their party power brokers, are constrained by the sludge of the Canberra swamp – Trump has the necessary independence to enforce the democratic will of the people on the unwilling political class.

I can't understand how those posters who so recently
used accusations of Marxism and communism at -
who they perceived to be "Left-Wingers". It now appears
they strongly support a US president who's made
it clear that he'd rather deal with Moscow than Kyiv
when it comes to finding a way to end the conflict
that Russia 's invasion started.

There's more at:

http://abc.net.au/news/205-02-20/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-analysis-after-zwlwnskyy--spray/104953186

http://x.com/elonmusk/status/1893056636131909803

"Every bleeding-heart liberal I talk to about the Russia-Ukraine war wants to keep feeding bodies into the meat grinder forever.

They have no plan for success.

Superficial empathy, not real empathy."

http://x.com/GabeZZOZZ/status/1892913643978649943
Zelensky wasn’t joking, there’s literally no air defense in Kiev.

Trump: Russia holds ‘the cards’ in Ukraine peace talks
http://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-russia-have-cards-peace-negotiations/

Trump Gave Europe Three Weeks to Sign Off on Ukraine 'Surrender': MEP
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-europe-troops-ukraine-peace-deal-2033823
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Finland's Mika Aaltola of the European People's Party claimed that the U.S. "has given us three weeks to agree on terms for Ukraine's surrender," referring to a proposed peace deal aimed at ending the war.

"If we don't, the United States will withdraw from Europe," Aaltola added.

What I don't understand Foxy, is why you haven't sent your own children to fight the Russians.
You seem to think everyone else should send their kids, why not send your own if you care so much?
If you're not willing to do that, then your just a hypocrite who wants other people to die for what YOU think is right.

Maybe you should go fight them hey?

Face facts, Russia won the war.

http://x.com/SMO_VZ/status/1892662674179215814

Armchair Critic,

You asked what is my family and me doing for Ukraine?

We're with Intelligence. But at the moment
we're all working under cover.

I suspect your support of Russia also speaks for
itself.

"I told you all over 18mths ago that Ukraine was going to lose."

Yes. You also told us that Odessa would fall, that the capture of Bakhmut would led to a general breakout, that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk would be reversed etc etc.

If you predict everything, then sometimes you'll be right. And the AC only remembers those things!

Lose? Define lose.

At the beginning of this I said I hoped both would lose, and so it has come to pass. Russia started this whole thing because they didn't want NATO on their doorstep. Well NATO is now in Finland which is their backdoor step. They started the war claiming to have the best army in Europe, now revealed as a paper tiger, barely able to hold their own against a minnow like Ukraine. Their Kiev offensive was a disaster
forced into abject retreat. They've lost enormous numbers of their youth to both the war and emigration to avoid being sent to the meat grinder. They've become the effect vassal of China. They've lost all ability to control their overseas empire being forced for example to leave Syria without even a whimper.

None of Putin's original war aims have been realised other than gaining a bit of territory that is so degraded that it'll take a generation, and enormous sums that Russia doesn't have, to bring back to anything remotely like productive.

Ukraine has likewise lost the cream of its next generation. They will eventually have to surrender territory, land it should have and could have given up in 2022. When Trump says they started the war, this is what is meant. They had the option in 2022 of giving up what they will now be forced to give up and decided to instead try to hold land that was Russian in all but name.

Trump will bring all this lunacy to an end OR the parties will continue to argue and fight over a strip of degraded real estate that is useless to all concerned... in which case the US will wash its hands of the whole debacle.

Foxy writes: "We should all refuse to allow the Ukrainians or any
Europeans to come under the control of the Soviet regime."

________________________________________________________

There is no 'Soviet regime". Hasn't been one for over thirty years. The ignorance is painful to see.

Banjo: "It’s been 108 days since the election, and he has still not settled it. "

Well for 71 of those days he had no power. Indeed under US law it would have been illegal for him to get involved in peace talks. If he had then people like Banjo, just regurgitating anti-Trump talking points would have been decrying the breaking of the law. But that's how Trump Derangement Syndrome works - if he did it its wrong, if he didn't do it its wrong.

Anyone who thought he meant he'd literally stop it in a day is a fool.
______________________________________________________________

" Russia and the UK signed on to that enthusiastically as well."

Yes everyone signed up. But only the US is, apparently, required to adhere to their word. The world moves on but some people don't.

Banjo: "that the US had given $350 billion to Ukraine – [false: US gave $67 billion in weapons & $31.5 billion in budget support]"

Those numbers are woefully out of date. Official numbers for aid since 2022 is about $180 Billion. Trump didn't put a timeline of the $350B figure. Taken from the time when Obama first started giving aid following the annexation of Crimea, the number is accurate. But TDS....

_________________________________________________--

This war is going nowhere. Ukrainians, Russians, North Koreas, Kazak and many others are being slaughtered over a moon-scape of territory. Russia has no ability to take Ukraine en toto, at least while-ever it has US support (they can't even push Ukraine out of Russia) and Ukraine has no ability to retake what it thinks of as its own territory. The war has to stop and Trump is the only one who can do it.

Russia is no longer a threat to Europe despite what the warmongers say. Its army has been shown to be a paper tiger. Poland has been rearming with alacrity and would easily be able to fend off any Russian advances. There's already talk of a separate East European alliance - Poland, Hungary, Romania - that would be more than a match for Russia's depleted forces. Sure Putin has nukes but given what we've seen, there's some doubt they'd actually still work.

(Just on Poland..... remember that Lvov and most of western Ukraine used to be part of Poland. There is a scenario that sees Poland reclaim that territory to protect their cousins there. It goes like this...the US washes its hands of Ukraine but Ukraine continues to fight based on promises from the EU for support. The EU doesn't live up to its promises. Ukraine starts to unravel. Russia moves to take it all. Poland and its east European allies move their forces into Ukraine to stop Russia somewhere around a line between Kiev and Odessa. Poland saves Europe's bacon.)

(Of course that whole region used to be owned by Lithuania but we don't want a nation of antisemites controlling it now, do we?)

We see people like Foxy and AC whine at the drop of a hat at the supposed death toll in Gaza of 40000 during a year's fighting. Well credible estimates say that many die or are maimed on the Russian steppes each MONTH. Yet here they are cheering for more death and destruction. Hypocrites.

"This war is going nowhere."
That's not exactly true, the Russians are advancing slowly, the Ukrainians war is going backwards, they can't count on US support under Trump, he doesn't want a bar to do with it. He's also signaled a willingness to give Russia everything it wanted at the start of the war. No NATO, No return of territories, No US boots on the ground and weapons shipments are those committed by Biden and are slowing.
The Ukrainians have no air defense, they lack manpower and the ones who are left are poorly trained, many deserting or surrendering.

As for Kursk, that could be over in a matter of weeks
http://youtu.be/8fWbJtwlpzs?t=573

"Russia is no longer a threat to Europe despite what the warmongers say."
- Russia was never a threat to Europe, unless Europe themselves became a threat to Russia, Putin was never interested in going there in the first place, that would result in nuclear war. But once the Ukrainian military collapses, theoretically Russia could go further, because NATO would be flat out putting 50,000 troops together.

"Its army has been shown to be a paper tiger."
Russia has overcome everything the collective West could throw at it, and will end the war much stronger militarily than when the war began.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/20/7480538/
"General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, believes that regardless of how the war in Ukraine ends, the Russian army will be stronger than it is now."

Poland, Hungary, Romania
Russia would be more likely to work out a deal that would see them reclaim their historical territories. I can't see Orban going to war with Putin. 'there's some doubt they'd actually still work' [nukes]
(You listening to desperate people with high hopes that are closer to fantasy mhaze, Russia modernised it's nuclear arsenal)

"Sure Putin has nukes but given what we've seen, there's some doubt they'd actually still work."

Putin could destroy concentrations of NATO forces with conventional weapons (Oreshnik) in 10 minutes flat if he wanted to, if he thought they were a threat, but that would've likely forced a nuclear response under Biden, (They were claiming they could win a nuclear war) Washington would've had to decide if taking out a Russian city would be worth losing a US city, but they would've probably had to respond to aggression against Europe and NATO.
- The outcome wouldn't be pretty.

Nuclear War Expert: 72 Minutes To Wipe Out 60% Of Humans, In The Hands Of 1 Person!
http://youtu.be/asmaLnhaFiY

EU nations won't send troops into Ukraine without US security guarantees, (They wont get them from Trump) they're trying to lay a tripwire for US involvement, and that's why Macron and Starmer went to Washington and are talking about peacekeepers.

But this is essentially freezing the conflict to fight another day, Russia won't accept this outcome.

Trump has already passed off the leadership of Ukraine Contact Group to France, signalling that it's Europes problem now.
US is even discussing removing Russian sanctions, which would be smart on their part considering BRICS dedollarisation.
Musk is talking about working with Russia on space programs.

Russia won't take western Ukraine, it's more trouble than it's worth being an occupying power, and it gives justification to all the lies told by the Biden administration and their USAID paid media groups.
At best Russia will go to the Dnieper, maybe take Kherson City (which is already considered part of the Russian Federation) and maybe take Odessa and link up with Transnistra.

Putin wants peace, never wanted this war to begin with, he wants a new security framework and normalisation of relations.
This was just a few weeks prior to the invasion:
http://edam.org.tr/en/blog/russia-proposes-a-new-security-architecture-in-europe-and-beyond

Some estimates place Ukrainian KIA at over a million already.
Russia, somewhere between 150-200K

Both wars were completely avoidable, and all the loss of life pointless.
No NATO for Ukraine, and Israel should just state it's borders.

"We see people like Foxy and AC whine at the drop of a hat at the supposed death toll in Gaza of 40000 during a year's fighting. Well credible estimates say that many die or are maimed on the Russian steppes each MONTH. Yet here they are cheering for more death and destruction. Hypocrites."

- Don't put words into my mouth thanks mhaze.
You're just trying to play down Israeli atrocities by pointing out the loss of life in Ukraine is much greater.

Shame on you for downplaying the murder of women and kids.

But even Foxys article from Zelenska stated "I want to talk about each of the 599 children killed by Russia in the past three years so that they do not become statistics."
Israel probably killed that many kids every day.

One war has nothing to do with the other, however Zelensky and Netanyahu were providing support to each other.
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham received training and weapons from Ukraine.
So in some ways the Ukrainian war helped turn Syria into the wild west run by Jihadis.

(I supported Assad, I don't support the U.S. and Israels wars and regime changes)

Trumpster,

You say; "Why should America have to defend Ukraine? Its the other side of the world with no US vital interests at stake"

Already Trump has demanded $860 billion from Ukraine in war reparations. AND as usual America is demanding a cut of the action when it comes to divvying up Ukrainian natural resources. When i comes to money, America always has a vital interest.

‘I’ve had it’: Trump admits Russia attacked Ukraine as he blames Zelensky, Biden
http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/i-ve-had-it-trump-admits-russia-attacked-ukraine-as-he-blames-zelensky-biden-20250222-p5le8m.html

>>“I’ve been watching this man for years now … I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards, he has no cards, and you just get sick of it. And I’ve had it,” Trump told Fox News Radio.

“Then he complains that he’s not at a meeting. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years and nothing got done. So I don’t think he’s very important [sic] to be at meetings, to be honest with you.”

Trump was referring to talks between US and Russia in Saudi Arabia last week to which Ukraine was not invited.<<

>>...Trump went on to say Putin wanted to make a deal, “and he doesn’t have to make a deal because if he wanted, he’d get the whole country”.<<

- Truth of the matter is that it was never Zelensky that was using the United States, It was the United States that was using Zelensky.

You have to go back to the early days of the war to understand what happened, and you have to sift through the mistruths, because what actually happened was not the way the media reported the events at the time.

When Russia first started the invasion, it sent 40,000 troops into KIev. It was not a plan to 'take' Kiev as the media reported at the time. It was to force Ukraine to the negotiating table, which happened. A deal had been struck and Russia's military withdrew from Kiev as part of that deal.

At this point Boris Johnson flew into Ukraine (Either at Bidens request, or with his support) to put an end to that deal, to convince Zelensky to keep fighting. After that if you all remember we heard Biden now openly state "We're with Ukraine for as long as it takes".

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Michael McFaul, (Under Biden) is losing his mind at Trumps willingness to make peace.

Trump is offering Putin concessions and undermining Ukraine, says former U.S. ambassador to Russia
http://youtu.be/VQxqFLHHoJk

The Europeans should be crapping themselves following President Trump's stance on Ukraine, and Vice-president Vance's recent speech to them.

They spend sweet FA on their own defence; the US provides over 70% of the NATO budget, and that could be lost.

Like Australia, Europe is chockers with immigrants undermining its values. Freedom of speech is on the ropes.

Of course, just like Australia, Europe will just get the huff and bury its head further up its arse: ignoring its own people in favour of crappy little countries like Ukraine, which the US looks like being more than happy to dump on them.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Dutton is verbally aligning himself with Trump on material such as immigration and gender bending - but: he says he has no intention of putting Trump-like policies into practice here!

How nutty can he be! Admit the truth, then ignore it.

There is nothing for Australians to look forward to no matter who wins the election.

And, further shooting himself in the foot, Dutton posts, “Australia stands proudly with President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people”.

What a damn stupid thing to say by a man putting himself forward to lead his own country and people who expect him to concentrate on Australia, not some far off country which has absolutely nothing to do with Australia or Australians. It's our defence that our politicians should be interested in; and as far as getting involved with countries, only Taiwan in our own region comes to mind.

We are on the edge of war in the Pacific - for which we are utterly unprepared - and Dutton goes off the reservation on Ukraine.

China is live-firing barely outside our waters, and sh.t-for-brains is disagreeing with our main ally on something that has nothing to do with Australia.

I'm not entirely sure what the whole entire plot actually was about.

Certainly the U.S. wanted to remove Putin, put in a Western puppet ruler and ring-fence China who they were planning to going to go after next.
Maybe even balkanise the country into small manageable provinces that pose no threat to the West and send in Western companies to loot Russias wealth.
I think the US the UK and Europe were all in on it and they staked their economies on the outcome.
I don't think they were ever certain that Ukraine could win militarily, but they thought that the sanctions would create an economic crisis that would lead to a political crisis that would oust Putin, but their gamble didn't work out and now all of them that supported the Pro-Ukraine side of things are on borrowed time.

A western puppet ruler in control of Russia would've given the West much more leverage in the UN security council.

I told you all a few years back Putin wasn't going anywhere and there would come a time when all those western leaders would be gone, and Putin would still remain.

Many are gone, I think its Marcon, Meloni and Sholtz that remain, but tomorrows election in Germany might see Sholtz and the traffic-light coalition sent packing in favour of the AfD.

Not sure how much influence Kellogg has on Trumps intentions.
I think he's been sidelined in favour of Steve Witkoff.

Kellogg says U.S. plans to destroy Russian Federation's allied ties with three countries
http://en.iz.ru/en/1840061/2025-02-16/kellogg-says-us-plans-destroy-russian-federations-allied-ties-three-countries

Russia won't make any deals with Zelensky, because they consider him illegitimate, and I'm pretty sure that's why Trump wants him gone, because he's an impediment to his peace plans.

The EU backed Ukraine's constitutional changes that Ukraine cannot negotiate with Putin, and they mislead Russia in regards to the Minsk agreements, which is probably why none of them are getting a seat at the table.

Bill on full withdrawal from UN introduced in US Congress
http://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/02/21/7499403/

Putin will someday depart
Hopefully his replacement will have a heart
And like Gorbachev he shall try to reform
A corrupt, authoritarian, political system,
Hard to transform
Russia's an enigma that will need to dig deep
To wake up from the slumber of its comatose sleep
It will need to cut chains embedded in fear
And admit state control is far too severe
Only then can Russia stand up and proclaim
That centuries of abuse were not suffered in vain
Centuries of dreams, of hopes, and tears
Have been hiding in Russia's soul for years
All tied and tangled in one layer
Of burning hope wrapped in a prayer
All the while while Russia's been burning
Its people for Life have continued yearning.

I am reading the book - "Patriot" by Alexei Navalny.
There's a lot to take in.

We're told that:

It's his life in his own words.

His Soviet childhood, political awakening, his marriage
and his beloved family. His total commitment to taking
on a corrupt regime and his enduring love of Russia and
its people.

His 2020 poisoning by the Russian security services was
a global news event. In 2024 he died in a brutal Siberian
prison.

He began writing "Patriot" while recovering from his
poisoning . It ends with his prison diaries seen here for
the first time.

We witness his nationwide support. We see his many arrests.
And harrassment and in stunning detail the attempts on
his life. We understand why he felt he had to return to
Russia. In prison , he shows a spirit and a sense of humour
that cannot be crushed.

Here we meet the resolutely optimistic leader who offered
Russians what nobody else did, hope.

Who was charismatic, courageous, and whose deepest conviction
was that change cannot be resisted. That change will come.

This is a book as dramatic as the author's life - driven by
the passionate belief, against all odds, that good and freedom
will prevail.

It is Alexei Navalny's final letter to the world. A rousing
call to continue his work. An unforgettably positive
account of a life that will inspire every reader.

Alexei Navalny died 16th February 2024.

A year on from his death in an Arctic prison his
supporters around the world have established their
own places of rememberance in most capital cities,
including Australia.

" Love is stronger than Fear!"

People may be interested to learn that former PM
Tony Abbott as well as current Coalition leader
Peter Dutton both support Ukraine's stand against
Vladimir Putin who they see as an agressive dictator.
They say that he should not be given "an inch".
And they both are proud of Australia's stance in
supporting Ukraine - who did not start the war.
That Putin is spreading propaganda. And should not be
supported.

Its our leaders which should not be supported Foxy
So I take it you've decided to send your children to die on the steppes for Ukraine so they become statistics, no?
Have you told them how you feel?

How many times must I tell you the war is lost?
All you're doing is throwing a tantrum and begging to send more good lives to their inevitable end, and Navalny btw is now a mostly forgotten memory.

NO MORE WAR: President Trump hints to end Ukraine War, slams DOGE haters
http://youtu.be/Wv1A0QO9Hyo

Anyone who says the previous administration were not involved in fraud or corruption need only watch the video above.
From 4 days back, fraud and corruption on an absolutely EPIC scale.

I would've loved to ask him a question.

"President Trump, What is your position on the United States regime change industry, enabled by USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy by conducting covert actions to cause foreign interference and civil unrest in foreign countries?"

The Truth about the MAGA revolution.
http://x.com/elonmusk/status/1892840058555691152

Next it seems that Trump is purging useless Generals and others at the DoD who care more about profits in their hip pockets working for military contractors after government than defending the nation.

5 Generals Fired! Don't Stop There / Lt Col Daniel Davis
http://www.youtube.com/live/D_ZYLyvlLvw

And finally, I'll give you all this:

The Most Dangerous Book in the World
http://youtu.be/4_UcA5l6IWU

AC,

Take your own advice.

Go live in Russia and experience Putin for yourself.

Then you can qualify to give advice to others who have
experienced Russian autocracy.

All this crap about Australia “standing by” far away Ukraine when China is firing missiles built with our coal 150 nautical miles from Sydney. And the dill supposed to be running ASIO rambles on about threats to Australia without naming them. As usual, the scum in Canberra say how "unprofessional" it is, and slink away from the media who lets them get away with it.

Australia is far away from many continents. Yet
it has provided help in the past as was needed.
Signed international treaties and agreements.
And has been involved in many conflicts. We don't
live in a vacuum, and hopefully help will be
provided to us as needed - when and if the time
comes.

Here's further explanation on Ukraine and Australia:

http://dfat.gov.au/geo/ukraine/ukraine-country-brief

Hungary is in trouble with the EU again for vetoing a 50 Billion package for Ukraine. The EU thugs plan to sabotage Hungary's economy as punishment. Some “union”!

Some funding to Hungary is already being withheld, and plans are afoot to weaken its economy and “reduce investor confidence".

The EU has a “ warped sense of democracy”, and according to one commentator, JD Vance's lambasting of them didn’t go far enough. The EU has persecuted populist parties of both left and right for the past 25 years, threatening them with fines and suspension if they act on the policies they were voted in to enact.

Brussels is a bully. Let's see how tough they are when Donald Trump removes 70% of their defence funding and puts it to better use in America as China becomes more aggressive, and Europe has to smarten up to deal with Russia and Ukraine by itself.

AC: "As for Kursk, that could be over in a matter of weeks"

I seem to recall you telling us that six months ago!!

AC,

You are continually changing what you think are Putin's war aims to match what you think he might be able to achieve. You've completely ignored that he wanted to keep NATO away from his borders and has utterly failed that. He wanted to capture Kiev and remove the current Ukrainian leadership. He utterly failed. He's conquered very little land and what he has conquered is a moonscape that'll take a generation to rehabilitate, and you ignore that. He's lost the flower of the 20-30 generation either to death or emigration, a generation Russia desperately needs to reverse their demographic decline. And you ignore that

This is 'yuge'. Zelensky is about caved to Trump's 'request' that the US be given access to Ukraine's rare earth deposits. The idea is that Ukraine and the US set joint ventures to exploit the deposits for the benefit of both parties.

You might recall that China has been trying to use its near monopoly on rare earth's to extract concessions from the west. The US has some deposits and they are rapidly developing them. Australia also. But the deposits in Ukraine are significant.

Marco Rubio explained a few days back that they told Zelensky that making the US a partner in a vital industry would increase their security. It would also send a message to Putin that any ideas he has of making peace now but picking up where he left off in a few year's time, would be out the window. Art of the deal.

And just like Trump to add this to the mix in the middle of negotiations.

_____________________________________________________________________

BTW, it'd probably do everyone good to ponder why the negotiations are taking place in Riyad. Why just Russia, the US and Saudi Arab? The three biggest oil producers on the planet. Think about it.

Europe no longer counts - at least not western Europe. And they don't like or understand the change.

But this isn't just about a peace plan for the Russian Steppes. Saudi Arab is vital to making peace in Levant and forcing the Palestinians to make a final deal with Israel. And if Russia can be convinced that they have nothing to fear from the west, then they can be bought into the fold to allow them to start to ponder what to do about the nation they do have a problem with - China. There has been growing unrest in Siberia and if you think China isn't at least partially behind it and that Russia hasn't noticed, then you're not keeping up. (NB China lost most of Siberia to Russia in the 19th century but have never accepted the loss)

Russia Prepares To Cut Off The Salient Military Summary 2025.02.22
http://youtu.be/xSBYP4YPZoE?t=440

"He wanted to capture Kiev and remove the current Ukrainian leadership."
- Still falling for USAID propaganda or following the ISW I see.

"He utterly failed. He's conquered very little land and what he has conquered is a moonscape that'll take a generation to rehabilitate"
- I'm guessing you missed the quote from Trump earlier where he stated "he doesn’t have to make a deal because if he wanted, he’d get the whole country" or are stupidly doing that thing you do again where you see a pile of turd and run over and stand in it?

Mariupol
http://youtu.be/U6-jpi5k8XA

"He's lost the flower of the 20-30 generation..."
http://www.youtube.com/shorts/R-g6jY8DI3c

Ukraine rare earths potential relies on Soviet assessments, may not be viable
http://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2025/2/ukraine-rare-earths-potential-relies-on-soviet-assessments-may-not-be-viable-87318842

Ukraine's earth riches are rare and difficult to reach
http://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250222-ukraine-s-earth-riches-are-rare-and-difficult-to-reach
'Ukraine's soils hold some five percent of the world's mineral resources, which is what US President Donald Trump is anxious to secure, but not all of them are yet exploited -- or maybe even exploitable, according to experts.'

http://youtu.be/PouAZ_Wnujk
- Yawn.

"Marco Rubio explained a few days back..."
- Yes I saw the clip, but Russia won't accept freezing the conflict.
And it's the West pushing for peacekeepers so they can have a tripwire that Russia will be accused of crossing (like Obama's red line in Syria) while they re-arm Ukraine in order to have another crack in a few years time.
The Russians have already said no deal to that, and Trumps hanging all those people out to dry anyway.

'Negotiations', Lol.
what's to negotiate, what's Trump got to offer?

"And if Russia can be convinced" - that pigs fly backwards?

"There has been growing unrest in Siberia and if you think China isn't at least partially behind it..."
- Do tell. Maybe you can teach me something new mhaze.
I'm aware that Russia is not without its internal issues and dissidents, but probably just as likely the West trying to drive a wedge.

The DOGE team zeroes out the National Endowment for Democracy
http://newcriterion.com/dispatch/the-doge-team-zeroes-out-the-national-endowment-for-democracy/

Massive Drone Strike - Russians Prepare To Cross The Dnipro - Military Summary And Analysis 2025.02.23
http://youtu.be/ccxo_U6o-Bk

When you get to the 2 minute mark mhaze, you'll see the map I gave you yesterday, and I had it a day early.
I'd congratulate myself, but there's too many people dying for nothing, so there's that.

You could just watch the same things I do you know.

Oh and I forgot to mention, Musk's planning to turn off Skylink

Exclusive: US could cut Ukraine's access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources
http://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-access-starlink-internet-services-over-minerals-say-2025-02-22/

I suppose that's probably the reason for Zelensky's quick about face [shrugs]
But what do I know, right?

.

According to Trump, his administration is "pretty close" to striking a deal with Ukraine for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States’ billions of dollars in support for the country against Russia.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared, after meeting with Zelensky :

« Trump is creating a "win-win" partnership between the United States and Ukraine. His vision is to bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there's going to be a long-term partnership. »

Nearly $8 trillion of Ukraine’s mineral resources, about 53 per cent of the country’s total, are contained in the four regions Putin illegally annexed in September 2022, and of which his army occupies a considerable swathe.

That includes Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, though Kherson holds little value in minerals.

The Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed and occupied by Putin’s forces in 2014, also holds roughly $210 billion worth of minerals.
The region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the largely occupied regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia and is surrounded by an advancing Russian army, contains an additional $3.5 trillion in mineral resources.

Russian difficulties with major military operations seem likely to preclude a serious attempt to take the region but mining operations in the area would be perilous with Moscow’s soldiers so close.

Other ores are well within the sites of Russia’s forces. One lithium ore on the outskirts of a settlement called Shevchenko in Donetsk is less than 10 miles from the town of Velyka Novosilka, recently captured by Putin’s troops.

If the deal does go through it will be interesting to see if Trump manages to persuade Putin to allow the US and Ukraine to extract the rare earth and other minerals from the Russian-occupied annexed territories.

Maybe they won’t be just two but three contractors feasting off the beast.

There’s safety in numbers … so they say !

.

‘Completely Unacceptable’ – Lavrov Rejects Proposed European Troop Deployments to Ukraine
http://www.kyivpost.com/post/47359

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday decried Western proposals to send troops to Ukraine to maintain a potential peace deal, calling it “completely unacceptable.”

Speaking to reporters after the high-stakes talks with top US diplomats in Riyadh on ending Moscow’s Ukraine invasion, Lavrov rejected all proposals of foreign troop deployments to Ukraine, NATO or not."

European Leaders Draft Peacekeeping Plan for Ukraine With U.S. Forces as ‘Backstop’
http://www.wsj.com/world/europe/european-leaders-draft-peacekeeping-plan-for-ukraine-with-u-s-forces-as-backstop-0dda78bc

They're just trying to drag the US into a hot war.
Russia's not going to go for it, and I'll be surprised if Trump will either after he and Putin meet, but we'll see.

Time to give it a rest. What a few nameless keyboard warriors think about anything is not going to make one iota of difference to what Donald Trump, Putin, Zelenskyy etc do or don’t do.

"Other ores are well within the sites of Russia’s forces. "

Yep, a lot of the known reserves are within the war zone. But there's also a massive amount well outside that region, spreading across Ukraine to near the Polish border.

But ya gotta laugh. If the deposits were inaccessible, then the US wouldn't be bothering to go after them. But they are because they are.

Meanwhile silly old AC now denies that Russia sent an army to try to take Kiev in the early days of the war, said army being completely defeated and forced to retreat in abject disarray. Re-writing history to suit what you want to be true is never a good look.

Just to remind... its worthwhile pondering why the talks are being held in Riyad and why only the three biggest oil producers are involved.

world opinions do matter, especially in politics, alliances,
and funding. Not to mention global standing.

mhaze, I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you over paid propaganda you've filled your head with.

Diplomacy Watch: Did Boris Johnson help stop a peace deal in Ukraine?
http://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/09/02/diplomacy-watch-why-did-the-west-stop-a-peace-deal-in-ukraine/

"A recent piece in Foreign Affairs revealed that Kyiv and Moscow may have had a tentative deal to end the war all the way back in April."

>>Russia and Ukraine may have agreed on a tentative deal to end the war in April, according to a recent piece in Foreign Affairs.

“Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement,” wrote Fiona Hill and Angela Stent. “Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries.”<<

Fiona Hill (presidential advisor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Hill_(presidential_advisor)

Impeachment inquiry testimony

>>A request by U.S. President Donald Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son sparked the scandal.

On October 14, 2019, responding to a subpoena, Hill testified in a closed-door deposition for ten hours before a committee of the United States Congress as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump during his first impeachment. Some Republicans questioned the credibility of her testimony, including Connie Mack IV, who described Hill as a "George Soros mole infiltrating the national-security apparatus".<<

Putin publicly shows draft of ‘peace treaty’ signed by Russia-Ukraine in 2022
http://www.livemint.com/news/world/putin-publicly-shows-draft-of-peace-treaty-signed-by-russia-ukraine-in-2022-watch-11687136116863.html

Man.. I really don't know why you continually double down on stupid.
You know damn well I've been paying attention to this conflict since day dot.

"You know damn well I've been paying attention to this conflict since day dot."

And yet you don't recall that the Russians tried to capture Kiev.

And yet you don't recall telling us two years ago that Odessa would fall any day.

And yet you don't recall having it proven that your claims about the Russian language being banned were false.

And yet you don't recall telling us six months ago that the Kursk incursion would be defeated within a week.

And yet... and yet...and yet

Following this thing from day dot is useless when the opinions you follow continually lead you down the garden path.

"And yet you don't recall that the Russians tried to capture Kiev."
I know they laid siege to it, but I also know that 40,000 Russians were never going to take a city of 1 million.
Do you not recall Ukraine coming to the negotiating table?
Biden and Johnson put an end to that.

"And yet you don't recall telling us two years ago that Odessa would fall any day."
Not certain for sure, maybe I did, I'm not going to say I didn't.
The Russians were spread to thin, and many were getting to the end of their 6 month contracts, the West was talking up it's counteroffensive.
General Surovikin opted for pulling the troops back to the left bank of the Dnieper and setting up defensive positions.
The tactical withdrawal, (or retreat if you want to call it that) went well in Kherson, not so great in the Kharkiv / Kupiansk area.
Ukrainians said they'd be swimming on the beach in Crimea.
Didn't happen.

"And yet you don't recall having it proven that your claims about the Russian language being banned were false."
- I still stand by those statements. New language laws meant Russian speaking Ukrainians couldn't easily run for office and Russian speaking kids had to learn Ukrainian to go to school.

"And yet you don't recall telling us six months ago that the Kursk incursion would be defeated within a week."
- I probably said that, but Ukraine has lost tens of thousands there and didn't achieve it's goals of taking the Kursk NPP, meanwhile Russia was able to make further gains in the east in territory the already claim as their own.

The Russian plan isn't to make big moves for territorial gains that risk greater loss of men and equipment, their aim is to grind the Ukrainians down in a battle of attrition, destroy the Ukrainian military entirely and take what they wanted after military collapse.
i.e. Russia wins and they get to set the terms.

Trump has little to bargain with.
Russia doesn't particularly care about removal of sanctions.

Ukraine-Russia Peace Is as Elusive as Ever. But in 2022 They Were Talking.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/15/world/europe/ukraine-russia-ceasefire-deal.html
'Representatives from the warring nations held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. They fizzled. Documents from those talks show why any new ones will face major obstacles.'

>>Russia demanded that Ukraine make Russian an official language.

“Ukraine, within 30 (thirty) days after signing this Treaty, shall remove all restrictions on the use of the Russian language in any area in accordance with Annex 2.”<<

These documents date from March to April 2022.
Will you finally admit that the new language laws were an issue for Russia at the start of the war mhaze?
Will you finally admit that your witch-hunt against me over the language laws for these last 3 years was baseless?
Copies of the interim peace-agreement are available at the bottom of the article, if you're paywalled out, disable javascript.
(FYI, I haven't read them)

Now we a re at the point when we can't tell if AC's memory is just atrocious or he's deliberately distorting things to hide his errors.

1. The attack on Kiev.... the attack on Kiev started a few days after Putin had declared war. The intention was to make a rapid descent on Kiev from Belarus, kill or remove the government, install a puppet government and end the war. About 50,000 Russians were involved which, despite your lack of military knowledge is more than enough to capture a city of 1 million civilians. The thrust of the attack was an airborne assault on the Kiev airport. This was defeated by elite Ukraine forces.

From that time on the Russian attack faulted. Thinking they'd be in Kiev in a week, they had developed poor supply lines and inadequate supplies. Due to the winter attack they were forced to stay on paved roads and became easy targets for Ukrinian forces using Javelin missiles. The assault stopped and a 40km road jam developed.

Two weeks after the assault began the Russians called a retreat as their forces melted away. Many civilians were executed during the retreat.

To save face, Putin claimed the retreat was a goodwill gesture and many on those who fall for such things, such as AC, believed the lie.

2. Russian language... Now you're rewriting things. You originally claimed Ukraine had banned the Russian language. You naively said tha Lavrov had said it and he wouldn't lie!! I showed you the actual Ukrainian legislation, THE ACTUAL LEGISLATION, which proved that Russian wasn't being banned but that Ukrainian was being made the official language of Ukraine, just like Russian is the official language of Russia and English is the official language of England. Wow, big surprise, heh!. At the time you acknowledged you were misled and that indeed Russian wasn't being banned. Have you forgotten that or are you just outright lying now?

You showed the 2017 or 2018 legislation not the 2014 changes after the western sponsored coup which you claimed was grassroots even though Victoria Nuland admitted spending 5 billion (USAID) overthrowing the country in a western sponsored coup. And truth was the US had maintained ties via the CIA with the Neo Nazis since the end of WWII.

In any case, it doesn't matter because Ukraine lacks the ability to win either way.
And I'm not sure Trump will even be able to make a deal in any hurry, because the Ukrainians still want to throw bodies into the meat grinder.

The world has become a frightening place for the Left in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election.

In the US, the institutions the Left were trampling through have been defunded, disbanded, and publicly shamed.

In Australia, our politicians have no idea how to interpret the situation so they have chosen to ignore it, falling back into their old habits such as trading blows over Medicare. Boring. Why couldn't Medicare been “fixed” over the past three years.

The International Left are just as worried. They are trapped by dependency and greed where they want America’s money but dislike interference in their affairs. It’s a bit like a child that leaves home and still expects mummy to do the washing. Europe never grew up after the second world war.

Trump sided with Russia in the UNGA.

What we have is a NATO civil war, and a battle between Trump, who wants to exercise full power of the executive branch, the will of the voters, and the deep state (or administrative state of the unelected bureaucratic class) including the globalists and the elite.

The unelected EC wish to keep the war going, because they can't allow Putin to win.

The Trump administrations push for normalisation of ties with Russia means there's no purpose to NATOs existence, and the US admonishing the EU and EC via Vances comments at the Munich security conference puts these unelected beaurecrats in the EU and their administrative state on notice.

Good video by ex British diplomat:

Alastair Crooke : Political Implosion in Israel and Political Earthquake in Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/live/G_kMjyxdsBc

NATO CIVIL WAR - THE US AND RUSSIA VERSUS A CLOWNISH EU AND THE AZOV GOONS
http://www.youtube.com/live/AYAwX7WuDk8

Either way the choice is simple.

Support Trump = No nuclear war
Support for the rest = Risk having a nuclear war.
- including sending more men and women to their end, for no purpose with no chance of winning to prop up a gang of corrupt unelected globalists including the likes of Blackrock.

Many here choose risking a nuclear war, including robbing their nations citizens, because they are victims of both the Biden administrations and the ruling classes paid USAID propaganda.

The globalists are wrecking all our countries.
They have destroyed the aussie battler in favour of multinationals and immigration and global investment firms richer, that results in only making the average working class citizen poorer.

"The world has become a frightening place for the Left in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election."

First of all the Trump revolution, isn't actually a revolution but a counter revolution.
And that's because the world was well and truly starting to become a frightening place already.

Holy crap, hows that Murry Hunter article, I'm in shock.
I can't believe that someone else actually finally gets it.
- Probably too late to matter much now though.

Leaders are choosing sides over Ukraine, and in doing so they're stating what team they're on.
We should not expect any favours from the Trump administration.
But we should be taking care of our own interests for a change anyway.

These current leaders of ours have got to go.
NO ALBO, NO DUTTON !
We need to clean house too.

I know how the war started, do you?

http://x.com/ivan_8848/status/1892859251183215051
http://x.com/BowesChay/status/1893622501306937767
http://x.com/ricwe123/status/1890010462911353193
http://x.com/gsleg/status/1892137543744815235/video/1
http://x.com/SgforgoodStella/status/1891430217366802601
http://x.com/SprinterObserve/status/1691047041823031296
http://x.com/Kanthan2030/status/1627593537008332802
http://x.com/RWApodcast/status/1714574044526158270
http://x.com/NomorWhitey/status/1892655722481025317

The Verkhovna Rada failed to vote for Zelensky in the presence of European commissioners
http://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/02/24/the-verkhovna-rada-failed-to-vote-for-zelensky-in-the-presence-of-european-commissioners

>>Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, in the presence of the leaders of the European Union, failed a bill in support of Vladimir Zelensky's continuation of his powers.

According to the Strana newspaper, the resolution gained 218 votes out of the required 226. It stated that Zelensky "must fulfill his powers until the newly elected president of Ukraine takes office in accordance with part one of Article 108 of the Constitution of Ukraine."

In addition, the following words were in the document provided: "As the legitimate sole legislative body in the To Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declares: "The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was elected in free, transparent, democratic elections with the invitation of international observers, which were recognized by the entire international community."

Ukrainian sources report that in this way Zelensky received a slap in the face from the only relatively legitimate authority in the Ukraine.

Earlier, EADaily reported that the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, may soon escape from Ukraine and ask for asylum in Turkey.<<

Donald Trump has been calling on Zelensky to hold elections, looks like the Ukrainian parliament got the hint.

"I know how the war started, do you?"

Yes. Putin sent troops across the international border. The end.

Now if you're asking what were the non-proximate causes for the war and who was responsible for that...well that's a very different issue.

________________________________________________________________________

"You showed the 2017 or 2018 legislation not the 2014 changes"

No. I showed you the 2019 legislation. You claimed and still claim that one reason for the war was that Ukraine was banning the Russian language. You misread the 2014 legislation in order to make that claim. But the 2019 legislation superseded the 2014 legislation anyway and it, as I showed you, specifically didn't ban the Russian language. But the Russians had said differently and, as usual, you fall for whatever the Russians tell you, even when shown in black and white that its false.

"Yes. Putin sent troops across the international border. The end."
- Go back to sleep mhaze.

Cycle of Aggression
- Reset, Rearm, Aggression

1994: Clinton co-signs Budapest Memorandum enshrining Ukrainians neutrality;
2001: Bush Withdraws for the anti-ballistic missile reay with Russia
2003: Bush overseas overthrow of thw Georgian government
2003 - 2008: US begins arming and training Georgian forces;
2008: In April Bush invites Ukraine to join NATO in violation of the Budapest Memorandum.
2008: In August, Georgian forces attack Russian peacekeeper triggering Russian-Georgian war.
2009: Under the Obama administration, secretary Clinton organises a "Reset" with Russia.
2011: Following the US-engineered "Arab Spring", US Senator John McCain claims "Russia is next"
2014: Obama overseas overthrow of the Ukrainian government;
2014-2019: US begins training Ukrainian forces;
2019: Trump withdraws from the INF Treaty with Russia;
2019: Trump begins arming Ukraine militarily.
2022: US trained and armed troops begin intensifying operations in he Donbass along Russia's border followed by the start of Russia's Special Military Operation;
2022-2025: US exhausts arms/ammunition in proxy war with Russia;
2025: Trump seeks "Reset" with Russia while proposing Western troops enter Ukraine to freeze the conflict as the West expands arms / ammunition production.

I don't think there will be a settlement of this conflict anytime soon.
I don't think Trumps negotiations will succeed.
Russia will keep fighting until its objectives are achieved, and probably so will the others.
A country cannot attack another, get a new government and then blame the country it attacked for the consequences of the attack, on the basis that some officials in the new government opposed it.

1. There was no war.
2. Putin sent troops across the border.
3. Now there was war.

That's how the war started. Do as much of your Russophile spinning as you like, but thems the facts.

As to the rest of your list, the parts that weren't monumental spin, or half-truths were straight up wrong eg Bush never invited Ukraine to join NATO. That wasn't in his power. He did suggest they be allowed to start the MAPS process which is a million miles from being invited in and even that was rejected by NATO.

But I guess that when you desperately want to find excuses for your beloved Russia's starting the war, any old lie will do.

The war started in 2013.
If you think it started in 2022, then you really are dumber than I thought mhaze.

http://x.com/BowesChay/status/1893622501306937767

if you don't care about the loss of life, the people
If all you care about is winning or losing
Then what is it exactly that you care about
Lines on a map, stolen treasure for the bankers?
Theft of the peoples wealth, paid with their own lives?

"1.2 to 1.5 million Ukrainian dead in this war along with 100,000 dead Russian troops"
http://www.youtube.com/live/svq55tP3MCM

I'm not sure it's that bad, but who knows.

I think there might be around a million Ukrainian KIA or slightly over, and maybe the statistics for Russia don't include fighters from the DPR and the LPR and Wagner / prison inmates early in the war, so maybe 150k or a little more.

So much for your USAID meat-wave lies.
1000 Ukrainian dead per day for 3 years is over a million.

A war is a where battles between two armies occur. Its different to conflict between two nations. There was conflict between these nations that goes way back. But the two armies weren't involved until 2022.QED.

Just picking a different out of thin air so that you can absolve your favoured side of responsibility isn't scholarship or even honest. Its rank uneducated partisanship.

BTW if you want to want to know when the conflict (as opposed to the war) started then that was 2000 with the rise of Putin and the decision by the Russian elite to try to reconstitute the Russian empire.

Just a note on your 'x' links. If you think that posting random tweets from partisans who happen to fall for the same things you fall for is in the slightest convincing or even smart, you'd be wrong.

2000 Lol, you might want to go back half a century earlier...

The Covert Operation to Back Ukrainian Independence that Haunts the CIA
http://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/11/covert-operation-ukrainian-independence-haunts-cia-00029968
'After WWII, officials in Washington sent scores of agents to their deaths in a misguided effort to create an uprising against Moscow.'

Operation Red Sox, as it was known, was one of the first covert missions of the still new Cold War. The American-trained commandos would feed intelligence back to their handlers using new radio and communications equipment, STOKING NASCENT NATIONALIST MOVEMENTS IN UKRAINE, BELARUS, POLAND AND THE BALTICS.

USAID is a front or funding mechanism for the CIA and the National Endowment for Democracy, the CIA moved their covert action over to the NED and if you don't believe me believe the people that actually worked there.

Watch the first 5 minutes of this.
http://www.youtube.com/live/Uys-d85-iug

You pretend to be smart and probably think you are, but you're not.

As for Putin, you might want to go back a decade before that.

The USSR's general privatization in the early 1990s involved selling state assets to the Russian public. The goal was to create profit-seeking businesses that didn't rely on government subsidies.
How did privatization happen?

The State Committee for State Property Management of the Russian Federation carried out the privatization.
Local governments organized auctions or authorized employee and management buy-outs.
Most small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were sold to insiders.

What were the results?

The privatization process created "oligarchs" who controlled large segments of the Russian economy.
Many of these oligarchs bought factories, stripped them, sold what they could, and then closed them.
This created huge job losses.
The privatization process led to a public backlash against capitalism in Russia.
The majority of the population saw their living standards drop, their social services collapse, and a great rise in crime and corruption.
The privatization process led to the emergence of Russian organized crime.
The collapse of medical services led to a decline in life expectancy.

Putin inherited a wrecked country in choas, with traitors and westerners trying to loot the country.
The first thing he had to deal with was the oligarchs, but it was a long process.
First he had to get them to stay out of political affairs and slowly rebuild the state.

Take Gorbachev's word for it.
Putin knows everything.

Gorbachev: Treachery killed USSR - BBC News
http://youtu.be/vj1IIlqGeu8?t=112

Trumps not seeking real peace with Russia.
He's just passing the problem off to the Europeans to focus on China.
It's still the same story and geopolitical aims as it always was, just rebranded with different leadership.
Not to mention that US military stockpiles are dwindling, so they are playing peacemaker to buy time.
Even after just a month or so in office we know pretty much where Trump's at by his own statements, and what U.S. policies he's continuing with in other parts of the world.

Why don't you tell me what the Wolfowitz Doctrine is?

DOGE is only cleaning out the Department of Defense to make sure they can build enough missiles, shells, and drones to bury China with.
The Chinese naval industrial capacity is some 270 times bigger that the United States, ad whose going to man them, rainbow haired DEI hires?

Our country and leadership is a total joke by the way.
They spent 4.7 billion on the Arafura class offshore patrol vessels and all they have is a 40mm main gun.
The Chinese could destroy them with PT boats.

"2000 Lol, you might want to go back half a century earlier..."

A mere half-century? What a cope out!

Let's go back to the Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667 where the Rus Empire took control of Kiev. If only the Poles had been able to hang on, we'd have none of these problems!!

See, what I'm trying to educate you on is the historic notion of proximate and non-proximate or underlying causes for war. Most wars have a combination of these two. In the case of the war on the Russian steppes taking place now, the underlying causes go back centuries and each person can place different emphasis on each.

The thing about underlying causes for war are that they are rarely decisive in causing the actual outbreak of war. They explain why there was animosity but they aren't the immediate cause.

In the case of this war, the immediate cause was Putin's decision to advance his aims of reuniting the Rus Empire by taking Kiev in a lightning raid while, he thought, his adversaries were at their weakest. That's why we say the war was caused by Putin invasion.

BTW he wasn't wrong in thinking the west was at its weakest point given its leadership at the time. Where he went wrong is that he didn't recognise how weak his own position was. He bought his own propaganda about how strong the Russian army was and found out pretty quickly that it was indeed a paper tiger

The reason I brought up U.S. CIA actions in USSR involving Ukrainian Nationalists (i.e Ex NAZI OUN Banderites) was because the U.S. never ended its relationship with them.
It continued until the Revolution of Dignity / EuroMaidan / Overthrow of the Ukrainian government under Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

The REAL cause of the war was the U.S. bringing Ukraine into NATO.
Under Obama and then later Trump in his first term they started military training and the build-up of military hardware.
They were trained to a western NATO standard and were already acting as a de-facto member of NATO.

On 17 December 2021, prior to Russia's invasion the Russian government demanded NATO end all activity in its Eastern European member states and ban Ukraine or any former Soviet state from ever joining NATO, among other demands.
Jens stoltenberg openly stated this, NATO rejected it and as a result Russia recognised the independence of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and the Luhansk Peoples Republic, and entered the war on behalf of these regions under the right of collective self-defense.
- NATO themselves set the precedent for this when they they bombed Serbia in 1999 in defense of Kosovo. Kosovo didn't even become an independent country until 2008.

"The immediate cause was Putin's decision to advance his aims of reuniting the Rus Empire".
It's not true. He did not want western forces on the steppes just as the U.S. themselves would never accept such a thing which is why they have the Monroe Doctrine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine

Russia knew what the West was up to.
John McCain giving speeches in Kiev after the Maidan, saying the same stuff your parroting which is just USAID nonsense.
http://youtu.be/HdW4C1G5UuM
- And the U.S. own policy papers stated their intentions.
Do you think the Russians were not paying attention or were idiots?

Extending Russia - Competing from Advantageous Ground
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3063.html

All of Russias nuclear early warning systems used to be in Russias back-yard.
Western forces on the Russian border would put all these Soviet nuclear warning systems in their front yard.
I've told you all of this stuff before..

.

Here is the full text of the US-Ukraine mineral deal … that represents, as it specifically states, “security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace” :

http://kyivindependent.com/exclusive-the-full-text-of-the-final-us-ukraine-mineral-agreement/

.

Trump admits NATO is the cause for the war.
http://x.com/GudadzeLevan/status/1894810235195265263

.

Well, Trump may be right about that, but I have the impression that it was not NATO per se but the CIA and various other representatives of the US that fuelled the Maidan Uprising into a revolution and triggered the intervention of Russia.

Trump seems to be in denial of any responsibility, whatever the subject. It’s always somebody else’s fault : Biden, Zelensky, Mexico, Panama, Canada, the UN, WHO, Europe and now NATO … He seems to have forgotten something :

America First !

.

Well he didn't actually say it was caused by NATO. Just that NATO was a factor.

And why was it a factor? Because of Putin's paranoia about NATO being on his doorstep. Of course, since Finland's now joined the alliance, NATO is indeed on his doorstep. ie his strategy was a complete failure.

AC seems to have a real problem understanding the difference between the various factors that led to animosity and the event that actually started the war. I've given up trying to explain it to him.

______________________________________________________________________

I think we need to wait to see the final text on the 'Rare Earths Treaty'. But we've gone from Zelensky and Ukraine saying it'll never happen to them now being anxious to sign up. Art of the Deal.

This is a highly significant event. It means that the US now has a stake in the security and peaceful development of Ukraine and is a signal to Putin that he can't entertain ideas of coming back for a second attempt at expanding his empire in a few year's time.

That Trump got this done before substantive discussions on the ceasefire are held is important. It shows that he's aiming at a final resolution to the border disputes between the Ukraine and the Rus empire.

Art of the deal.

_______________________________________________________________

There's a pattern developing here. Trump makes a suggestion. All the 'right' people pronounce that he's insane and it'll never happen. And then it happens. Panama, rare earths, Greenland, European nations increasing defence spending, Gaza ceasefire. But the funny thing is the 'right' people will never learn.

Hi mhaze,
"Well he didn't actually say it was caused by NATO. Just that NATO was a factor."
Trump: "NATO you can forget about, I that's probably the reason the whole thing started"
- I don't think he could've been much more clearer.

"Of course, since Finland's now joined the alliance, NATO is indeed on his doorstep. ie his strategy was a complete failure."
- Well Finland made a huge mistake, now they have to spend billions on defense when they enjoyed neutral status and were never at threat by Russia.

Russia has responded by taking additional measures putting extra military on the border and Finland now has to do the same.
Its just military hawks boosting NATO weapons sales and ripping the Finnish citizens off when there was peace and no problem to begin with.

"AC seems to have a real problem understanding the difference between the various factors that led to animosity and the event that actually started the war."
- No it seems you are flailing around in a big pile of crap trying to minimise the mess and trying to get out. Do you know what fifth columns are? Don't worry, I know how your mind works. Just put your fingers in your ears and scream "I'm not listening" Lol

"...signal to Putin that he can't entertain ideas of coming back for a second attempt at expanding his empire in a few year's time."
- No it just means the war will continue with more loss of Ukrainian lives and territory and a peace deal isn't likely, why because Putin doesn't want to have to fight the war a second time.

The rare earths deal isn't that significant, and any security guarantees would be minimal.
They don't have the specific rare earths U.S. needs (Antimony, Gallium and Germanium) that China has banned export of that is essential to America's push to maintain technological supremacy. It may as well be a coal deal (but also does include oil and gas), and at least 30% of Ukraine's rare earths lie on Russian controlled territory.
- And Russia and China have plenty.

It's kind of like Muslim immigration, give it time and you're guaranteed to lose out, like England, not to mention China has magnitudes more STEM graduates than America.
Or the G7 and BRICS.

Also the deal doesn't mean much while the war is ongoing.

Trump’s Ukraine Mineral Ultimatum: How China Cut Off the US Military’s LIFELINE w/ Ben Norton
http://youtu.be/12hbqZe-yaA

And we wont even get into Chinese open source AI 'DeepSeek' that put the wind up the higher-priced American platforms...

'Sputnik moment' Chinese DeepSeek wipes off $1 trillion from US tech giants in a day
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/deepseek-nvidia-stocks-us-stock-market-donald-trump-ai-sputnik-moment/articleshow/117616324.cms

Trump doesn't need a cabinet or chosen experts like Elon Musk.

All he has to do is read the copious, day in day out, comments of the expert posters here.

"Trump admits NATO is the cause for the war."

Poor AC. Just struggles to understand anything since he's got this blinkered view of the world.

Trump was asked what concessions he'd like to see as regards the peace deal he's putting together to end this stupid war. He responded that he didn't want to get into that but that "NATO you can forget about, I think that probably the reason the whole thing started".

Not that NATO started the war, which AC so vehemently and inaccurately wants to believe. But that not taking Ukrainian NATO membership off the table was the reason the whole thing started. So he was taking NATO membership off the table. So the war started because the west refused to entertain Putin's paranoia.

If these simple things evade AC's understanding, its not at all surprising how little he gets.

BTW, I was searching back through past threads looking for a link I'd previously provided which I needed for another site I was working on, and came across this doozie from AC where he said that, "if Israel started a war with Hezbullah, it would be the beginning of the end for Israel." Yet another in the long line of erroneous predictions from AC.

Far from it being the end of Israel, it turned out to be the end for Hezbullah, Assad and the Iranian proxy empire. AC couldn't have been more wrong.

______________________________________________________________

ttbn,

If all this goes over your head, you don't need to participate. But sitting in the bleachers firing the occasional spit ball is rarely a good look.

Hi mhaze,
I'm not in any way certain that it's the end for Hexbollah.
Sure they took a hit, but I think they're just stepping back and seeing if the Lebanese military can deal with things on their own.
An estimated 1.4 million people attended Nasrallah's funeral.
Israel has been running a scorched earth policy on small towns and villages in southern Lebanon, mainly just out of spite it seems, setting booby traps amongst the rubble for any civilian that returns.

Some who have read the rare earth documents have stated that it doesn't commit anybody to anything.

Zelensky's Absurd Minerals Deal, Putin: EU Sabotaging Peace; Starmer's 2nd Attempt To Trap US In War
http://youtu.be/3XSd4igkJp4

Gabbard seems to be shaking things up:

Tulsi Gabbard fires more than 100 intelligence officers over messages in a chat tool
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/gabbard-fires-100-intelligence-officers-messages-chat-tool-rcna193799

>>Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired more than 100 intelligence officers from 15 agencies for using a government chat platform for discussions that included topics like polyamory, gender transition surgery and politics.
“I put out a directive today that they all will be terminated and their security clearances will be revoked,” Gabbard told Fox News on Tuesday.<<

Hi ttbn,

"Trump doesn't need a cabinet or chosen experts like Elon Musk.
All he has to do is read the copious, day in day out, comments of the expert posters here."
- A few experts have been wondering what he's actually doing.

COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : US on the Ground in Ukraine!
http://www.youtube.com/live/tcxSavCciZw

mhaze,

I'm not meaning to be nasty; your stuff is usually accurate and sensible. But, arguing with the same idiots, who are never going to change? That’s a waste of effort, as is the delusion that the trouble you go to will make any difference to anyone or anything.

"the delusion that the trouble you go to will make any difference to anyone or anything."

Whose deluded, the Old Fart who has made 16603 comments, and is the most prolific poster of you know what, on this forum.

I'll tell you one reason why Putin never wanted this war and never wanted to invade.
- Because it takes the large majority of Russian speaking people in Ukraine in the eastern regions out of the democratic process.
With independence, they no longer vote in Ukrainian elections.

But the collective west kept pushing until Russia was forced to act.
The potential for war was even discussed in the Extending Russia policy paper from RAND corporation prior to the invasion.

Earlier mhaze, you mentioned Saudi Arabia.
You were right about the oil I think, but maybe not so much the levant, in this case...

Thought that comes to mind:

'It's the economy stupid'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_economy,_stupid

"It's the economy, stupid" is a catchphrase that means that the primary concern of American voters is the state of the U.S. economy, and how the economy affects their personal finances.

Here's some info we should both be paying attention to.
- It's worth the time to watch this one

As US Cozies Up To Russia’s Economy, Putin’s Call With China Just Changed Everything
http://youtu.be/4QlENjpgbro

.

According to Alnour Moussaïev, ex-member of the Russian KGB’s 6th division, Trump was recruited in the 1980s as an “honourable correspondent” with the code name “Krasnov”.

At the time, the 6th division of the KGB was specialised in economic espionage and counterespionage of the 18th and 13th departments. The mission of these two departments was the surveillance of businessmen, joint-ventures and international organisations. In the eyes of the KGB, he could serve as an intermediary for major targets. The interest that Trump represented for the Russians was in the domains of finance, mafia and money laundering.

He sold a number of apartments in his New York tower buildings to the Russian US mafia. Not to mention the holdings in his casinos where large sums of money circulated freely.

The source of this information is Sergei Zhirnov a French-Russian author and former officer in charge of the Soviet KGB. Here are his details :

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergue%C3%AF_Jirnov#Biographie

So, if this proves to be the case, it appears that our poor, naïve, unsuspecting American friends will have elected to the presidency of the United States not only a convicted criminal, Donald J. Trump, but also an “honourable correspondent” of the Russian KGB, by the code name of “Mhctep Krasnov”.

Mind you, he does appear to get a little bit confused at times as to exactly where his allegiance lies or should I say “should lie” ?

Oops, did I say “lie” ?

Someone said Ukraine started the war against Russia, didn't they? Now, who was that — Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Here is a video (in French) based on the source information of Sergueï Jirnov :

http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/si-trump-a-mordu-a-l-hamecon-du-kgb-il-s-est-retrouve-coince-27-02-2025-2583492_24.php#11

.

tbbn,

I'm not here to convert. My estimation is that almost everyone here is utterly convinced of their case and aren't the slightest interested in hearing contrary information, let alone being converted by said contrary information. (the only exception here is that I always felt Foxy was ripe to be red-pilled, but I've now given up on that as well.) (OTOH I have been on other similar sites where there has been genuine changes of heart when people have all the data that has been hidden from them, presented in a coherent manner. This is especially so on a couple of global warming discussion groups).

I'm here for three reasons:

1. To have my views tested... to see if others can bring forth information that challenges my views

2. To see what others are saying and use that as a jumping off point toward further investigation. For example, when AC raised Ukrainian history in the previous half-century as a cause for the current conflict it led me to read up on all Ukrainian history. I was very aware of that history from ancient times from Darius' Scythian war through to the Dacian genocide and beyond. But it caused me to fill in the gap in my knowledge around Middle Ages Ukraine.

3. Primarily I'm writing to my future self. One of the things I like here is the ability to go back and see what you were saying a year or three ago, if you were right or how your views might have changed. And if you were wrong, why and how to do better in the future. For example, once this war is over I'll go back and reread all my posts on it to test my views over the four years. Likewise, I'll be testing my posts on the Albanese government once the election is done and dusted.

So not here to convert... the furthest thing from my mind.

"Trump was recruited in the 1980s "

Fa cryin' out loud.

This again!!.

The US alphabet agencies (FBI/CIA/DOJ) have been working on proving exactly this claim for over decade now. The Mueller investigation ran for 2 years and cost over $30 million to try to prove collusion between Trump and Russia. They found precisely nothing. They didn't find ambiguous information. They didn't find things that they thought were true that they couldn't quite prove. They found absolutely nothing to indicate any links between Trump and Russian intelligence or the Kremlin.

But still it comes back. Why? Because the truth about Trump being a truly disruptive thinker is too hard for these people to ponder. They've been raised on a diet of Russophobia and when a leader comes along saying something different, it doesn't compute and they search for simple solutions which they buy because its easy.

The thinking...I'm smart and opposed to Russia so anyone who doesn't think like that must be dumb or on the take

Here's another clip from yesterdays interview with Starmer in the oval office;
(The one where Trump said "NATO you can forget about, I that's probably the reason the whole thing started"
Looks like Starmer has failed to trap Trump into a war.
Donald Trump asks Keir Starmer if UK can take on Russia by itself
http://youtu.be/SH62pDkFZIw

Next...
It looks like things got a little heated with Zelensky's visit.
BREAKING NEWS: Trump, Zelensky, And JD Vance Have Shocking Explosive Argument In The Oval Office
http://youtu.be/uqOOOR7Kr-s

You know it's all pretty sad whats happened to Ukraine.

You can find all these reasons to blame Russia, but the U.S. did provoke this war. They overthrow the country in 2014, Victoria Nuland admitted spending 5 billion.

US Modus Operandi is 'theats, sanctions, regime change and military intervention.

Here's the video from 2013 in the Ukrainian parliament where the former Peoples Deputy of Ukraine states U.S. is trying to stage a coup to overthrow the country.

Nov 2013 (pre-Maidan!): Ukraine Deputy has proof of USA staging civil war in Ukraine
http://youtu.be/y9hOl8TuBUM

Here's Victoria Nuland talking about spending the 5 billion to do it, probably through USAID.
http://youtu.be/rPVs5VuI8XI

Here she is discussing which leader they want to install.

F* the EU: Alleged audio of US diplomat Victoria Nuland swearing
http://youtu.be/L2XNN0Yt6D8

Here's is a small jigsaw piece of how they did it.
(Also George Soros Open Society Foundation)

TechCamp Kyiv 2012
http://youtu.be/bpIoBUDuL3U

Also Victora Nulands 'democracy cookies' and John McCains Kiev speeches.

You can see their policy papers about the military buildup
Look at the images in this tweet for 'Extending Russia'
http://x.com/BrianJBerletic/status/1893711368597221837

Don't forget the 'N'yet means N'yet' diplomatic cable Wikileaks released.
http://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08MOSCOW265_a.html
(U.S. knew exactly what they were doing)

I'll throw this in US Regime change complex
http://x.com/BrianJBerletic/status/1888549381047210211
(look at the image)

It's sad what's happened to Ukraine, because the U.S provoked the war,
It was always about Crimea and constraining Russia in the Black Sea, as well as NATO expansion and regime change in Russia.

Ukraine further provoked the conflict killing innocents in the Donbass, lied and mislead Russia about Minsk.
Then when Putin invaded in 2022, (they knew it could happen, policy paper above) but thought they could cause an economic crisis in Russia that would lead to a political crisis and Putin's ousting.

Putin tried to force Ukraine to the negotiating table (shown previously) Boris Johnson / Biden stopped the peace negotiations, just like the Starmer, and the EU are trying to do now.
- Biden promised Zelensky they will be with them 'As long as it takes'

Zelensky never really got enough military support to win.
Now the US wants out under Trump 2.0 and Ukraine is destroyed with a million dead.

mhaze,

‘Each to his own’. You obviously get something out of what you do. Good luck to you.

Australia is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. An energy crisis. A housing crisis. A social crisis. A generational divide. A religious conflict. An education collapse. And a birthrate disaster. A threat from China. An immigration and cultural crisis. Not to mention incompetent, self-serving politicians.

That is of more concern to me than some tinpot European country with which we have absolutely nothing in common.

The power of the tariff.

Mexico has just sent 29 cartel figures it held or had access to, to the US. Among the 29 were people on the FBI's 10 most wanted list.

The US has been trying to get these people into the US to face various charges ranging from drug trafficking to murder to the execution of law officials since the Obama years.

Without success.

But the threat of sanctions and the need to placate the Trump regime has changed everything and the thinking in governments around the world.

___________________________________________________________________

"Australia is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. An energy crisis. A housing crisis. A social crisis. "

Not to mention a climate crisis, a domestic violence crisis, suicide crisis, a nursing crisis etc etc etc

We used to have problems. Now everything's a crisis. The issues haven't changed. What has changed is the need to compete for government funding by exaggerating the problem du jour.

Minsk agreements.
Hollande, Merkel, Poroshenko, what did they reveal?
That they never intended to honour the deal and were just biding time in order to build up the military.
Russia was right to invade, to protect ethnic Russians.
The West were trying to provoke a war, and they got what they asked for.

Hey mhaze...
Trump can't not know what the Russian terms are for ending the war.
He's already pretty much stated he will accept Russian terms on the disputed territories, plus no NATO etc.

It's game over for Zelensky, Ukraine, and also the Brits and the Europeans, Trump will just threaten to leave Europe entirely.

I imagine Boris and Ursula and all the rest of them will be shellshocked like those on the front line.
If they couldn't win with the help of the US, they certainly can't do so without it.
If they don't fall into line with Trumps plans he'll place tariffs on all of them.

Different war, but I'm curious.
What do you make of this?

http://youtu.be/FVEjv6L9jtI?t=643

I was saddened by the fate of the Palestinian people. They deserve a far better life. They deserve the chance to achieve their extraordinary potential. Palestinians have been trapped in a cycle of terrorism, poverty, and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism.

I'm guessing he's talking about Hamas not Israel.
Interesting that YouTube removed the text from the transcript.
I had to get it here:
http://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-prime-minister-netanyahu-state-israel-joint-statements/

Danish PM: peace in Ukraine may be more dangerous than ongoing war
http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2025/02/24/7205682/

>>"I understand that many people think that a peaceful solution or a ceasefire sounds like a good idea, but we run the risk that peace in Ukraine is actually [could be – ed.] more dangerous than the war that is going on now," she added.
The Danish prime minister is among those who arrived in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<<

My opinion?
- I say the woman has some serious fighting spirit.
Give her a gun, three weeks training and send her to Pokrovsk.
See how long it takes (in hours) for these lunatics to have a change of heart and see things from a different perspective.
Dangerous? - I'm not sure she understands the meaning of the word.
She just wants other peoples kids to die for what she believes.

Trump - Truth Social earlier today:
A Statement from President Donald J. Trump

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
http://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114082877976878390

Trump had the lad Zelensky over to tell the lad how it is. Unfortunately for Zelensky he has some silly notion that he is also a "President" just like Donald, laugh at that one, Little Zel also has some crazy idea that as "President" of Ukraine he should have some say in the affairs of "his" country, another laugh. Short of Donald hitting Little Zel in the fact with a cream pie, it couldn't be funnier!

p/s Donald even made some snide remark about Little Zel's "gym gear" he was wearing.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

I wrote :

"Trump was recruited [by the KGB] in the 1980s "

And you replied :

« Fa cryin' out loud. This again!!.

The US alphabet agencies (FBI/CIA/DOJ) have been working on proving exactly this claim for over decade now. The Mueller investigation ran for 2 years and cost over $30 million to try to prove collusion between Trump and Russia. They found precisely nothing. »
.

No, mhaze, the US alphabet agencies have never investigated “exactly this claim”.

What the US alphabet agencies investigated was entirely different. The Mueller special council only investigated Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

As far as I can ascertain, the recruitment of Trump by the KGB in the 1980s has never been investigated by any of the 17 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community.

The Mueller investigation "identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign", found that Russia "perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency" and that the 2016 Trump presidential campaign "expected it would benefit electorally" from Russian hacking efforts. However, "the investigation ultimately did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities".

Even for this investigation, which, as you say, cost the US taxpayers over $30 million, the evidence was not necessarily complete due to encrypted, deleted, or unsaved communications, as well as false, incomplete, or declined testimony.

As I indicated in my previous post, according to Alnour Moussaïev, an ex-member of the Russian KGB’s 6th division, Trump was recruited in the 1980s as an “honourable correspondent” with the code name “Krasnov.”

Here are a couple of articles with the details :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnur_Mussayev

http://www.kyivpost.com/post/47630

Perhaps, in time, the truth of the matter will come out.

In the meantime, Trump's management of the Russian invasion of Ukraine does nothing to allay the suspicions one may have regarding his alleged association with Putin's Russia.

.

The Scythian campaign of Darius I, I glad you mentioned it mhaze, like the majority of Forumites I am totally familiar with the military expedition into parts of European Scythia by Darius I, the king of the Achaemenid Empire, in 513 BC. I'll let you into a little known fact, Darius would insist on Coco Pops for breakfast, I bet you didn't know that little fact, but then again, you are mhaze, who claims to know everything about everything.

"That they never intended to honour the deal and were just biding time in order to build up the military."

Which they proceeded to not do. Yes very convincing.

"He's already pretty much stated he will accept Russian terms on the disputed territories.."

Nup.

"What do you make of this?"

Complete rubbish. Just wishful thinking from your stock standard apologist for Hamas. There's zero evidence that soldiers are resigning over Israel. The fact is that there's a clear majority of USians who favour Israel. Soldiers were leaving the armed forces in droves primarily because of the DEI crap that the leadership was pushing. Alpha males who join the army don't want to be told they'll have to bunk down with some bloke who wants to pretend he's a sheila. Since Trump has banned DEI in the armed forces, recruitment has skyrocketed.

"Danish PM: peace in Ukraine may be more dangerous than ongoing war"

Yep the Europeans intend to fight the war to the last drop of Ukrainian blood and the last dollar of US aid

You're right Banjo,

Mueller investigated an extensive list of completely unproven, unevidenced, unsubstantiated set of accusations from a range of anti-Trump fringe-dwellers.

This is a completely different set of unproven, unevidenced, unsubstantiated accusations from one anti-Trump fringe-dweller.

Completely different.

In fact, included in the accusations is only one testable fact and that turns out to be untrue... a complete fabrication. Mussayev claimed Trump was recruited in 1987 and that he, Mussayev , was working in the KGB at the time. We now know that's not true. Proceed from there.

The fact is Mueller and his 30 odd investigators were desperate to get something, anything on Trump in order to try to overturn the 2016 election. They didn't just investigate the original accusations which the FBI already knew, before the investigation even started, were rubbish. They investigated everything they could get their hands on. And found bupkis.

But those who can't understand Trump's position on Russia will continue to rationalise their misunderstand by falling for these fantasy stories.

Well lookie here. Paul's learnt how to do a google search. And he learned something new. Wonders will never cease.

While you're at it, the Median invasion of Scythia and its aftermath are a fascinating read. Start with Herodotus and proceed from there. In particular focus on the story of Miltiades which will lead you seamlessly into reading about the Battle of Marathon, one of the most consequential events in the history of the western world.

mhaze, what else have you got from 'Wikipedia"? I know all there is to know about Darius The Great Dazza to his mates. I don't know what was so great about Dazza, maybe he was a great dancer, or something, but if you didn't agree that he's great, then he probably had you drawn and quartered to convince you otherwise.

"That they never intended to honour the deal and were just biding time in order to build up the military."
- It's exactly what they did. Even Trump scolded Zelensky a few days back reminding him how he sent Javelin missiles.

Meuller...
This whole Russiagate mess started with a lie.
Have we forgotten Seth Rich? Guccifer, Crowdstrike...
It screwed Trump over and it screwed Russia over too, helped throw fuel on the fire for all this hate Russia business and a western sponsored war to take down Putin.
Trump even mentioned Russiagate, himself and Putin in one of his recent Oval Office meetings, maybe Zelensky.

All of this was part of Hillary's election campaign 'break the glass ceiling'.
She's not trustworthy at all, remember her email saga.
Clinton foundation pay to play.
Didn't they steal 6 billion from a Haiti earthquake fund?
Ugh.

But you're just as bad for falling for USAID propaganda mhaze.

Less than 28,000 Ukrainians mobilized in February with losses of 38,900 troops
http://tass.com/defense/1921035

France and UK said they'd put up 30,000 peacekeepers
- That'll let the warmongers extend the war by about 3 months.

Tucker Carson urges to ‘start blaming’ Zelensky for serious war crimes
http://tass.com/world/1921059

Why don't you both seek out some decent commentary by experts?

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (clip 26.02.2025) EU Stands Alone Against Diplomacy and Negotiation Efforts
http://youtu.be/X1t80zwH-qI

Trump HATING LAWYER busted in $17 million money laundering scheme!
http://www.youtube.com/live/Tj4NrBgdNN0

Taxpayer funds go to NGO's and lobbyists that pay off congress to turn a blind eye to more funding to NGO's and lobbyists.

And some here question whether there's corruption.
I told you all a long time ago 'the apple is rotten to the core'

Looks like they've decided to fight till the end.
What a waste of human lives.

"But you're just as bad for falling for USAID propaganda mhaze."

That's where you always go wrong. The belief that anyone who doesn't fully fall for all the gumpf that you fall for must be completely on-board with it. Just because I don't succumb to all the BS you talk about with USAID doesn't mean I support everything USAID did/does.

Take for example the Euromaidan Uprising. You see the fact that USAID was involved as proof that the whole thing was orchestrated by the US. I see that as being very condescending to Ukrainians since it assumes that they were mere dupes in the political events of their country. To my mind, the USAID involvement merely facilitated the desires of the majority of Ukrainians to move toward a reasonably prosperous Europe and away from a moribund Russia.

But just because I don't get my knickers in a knot over the USAID involvement in the people's revolt in 2014, doesn't mean I not aware of the other nefarious projects that USAID got involved in - transgender clinics in India FFS!!

Its a question of nuance.

"And some here question whether there's corruption."

Of course there's corruption. With that much money on offer, its inevitable. Big government + big money = Corruption. Always has, always will.

I've always assumed the solution was to remove big government from the equation and that still goes. But it now seems that the DOGE process of shining light in the dark corners of the corruption machine might be an alternative

"what else have you got from 'Wikipedia"?"

Oh Paul, I wouldn't read Wikipedia on this. It'll lead you down the garden path, although I note that that seems to be your favourite place.

No, read, as I have, Herodotus, Plutarch's lives (particularly Miltiades, Themistocles and Kimon), Thukydides and even Xenophon's Anabasis.

" but if you didn't agree that he's great"

He wasn't referred to as "The Great" until long after his death. So it wouldn't have been fatal to not use the moniker in his lifetime.

"Take for example the Euromaidan Uprising. You see the fact that USAID was involved as proof that the whole thing was orchestrated by the US. I see that as being very condescending to Ukrainians since it assumes that they were mere dupes in the political events of their country."

It was, and they were.
USAID is 'rent-a-mob', 'rent-a-civil society' 'rent-a-riot', rent-a-regime change'
It's JOB is subverting the will of the people with humanitarian causes to take power away from the people and put it in the hands of globalists.

What do you think democrats do?
Umbrella group of immigrant powered minorities to take power away from proud nationalists, or the pre-existing population who largely built the country.

Take a look at Europe.
The EU are all unelected globalist self-serving parasites.
And all the countries leaders there are elected globalist self serving parasites.
Biden was a part of that, they corrupt everything.
Trump is the antidote, trying to clean out the swamp.
The swamp in America is the same is the blob in Europe.

The deep-state, the administrative state, make elected leaders dance to their tune, loyal to big business, bankers and globalists and are incapable of real change that benefit the people.

Look mate they're all there, all the scumbags who have been destroying their own countries at great cost to their own citizenry.
http://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1896203880528220364

You support Trump but you still don't see the bigger picture.
Zelensky was a part of impeachment against Trump, remember that
You are still confused as to who the real enemy is, and you're a product of a corrupt paid propaganda machine.

Biden assures Zelenskiy that NATO membership in Ukraine's hands, Kyiv says - December 10, 2021
http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-president-zelenskiy-holding-talks-with-biden-adviser-says-2021-12-09/
"President Biden said very clearly that the decision on Ukraine's accession to NATO is the decision of the Ukrainian people only, this is a sovereign and independent Ukrainian state," he said. "And it depends on Ukraine and NATO members."

When will you see that the globalists set the agenda, make the citizens foot the bill, and dgf who they has to be sacrificed to achieve their ends.

You are so desperately in need of a 'lightbulb moment' mhaze.

.

Dear Armchair Critic,

.

You wrote :

« Looks like they've decided to fight till the end.
What a waste of human lives. »
.

With Trump choosing to change sides and support Putin’s Russia, leaving Ukraine and Europe aided by a few other countries to battle it out, it seems the writing is on the wall – unless some of the BRICS countries have a change of heart and follow Trump’s example and change sides too – countries like China and India, for example …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W94STMl8IMM

.

"USAID is 'rent-a-mob', 'rent-a-civil society' 'rent-a-riot', rent-a-regime change'"

Well again, these are just assertions based on nothing but what you want to be true. I don't doubt that USAID played a role in the Euromaidan Uprising but it was a minor supportive role. The Ukrainians wanted change and western money helped them achieve it. But it was the Ukrainians who wanted and pushed the change. They weren't dupes of US money.

If your claim that they were lead kicking and screaming into opposing Russia thanks to western money, why was it that, when given the chance to reverse that at the ballot box they doubled down on supporting the change? In all the years, all the votes, all the polls, they've consistently supported the move toward joining the west. Strange thing to do by people supposedly duped into revolution.!! Strange indeed.

"Zelensky was a part of impeachment against Trump, remember that"

There's that absolutism you always fall back on. The notion that if I don't fully support your total adherence to Russian propaganda then I must fully support Russia's enemies.

But I said from the very start of the conflict that I didn't support either side, that I hoped both would lose. And both have. Russia has been proven to be a paper tiger and is no longer a threat to Europe. They can barely hold their own against a nation that is third world in all but name. And Ukraine has lost a generation of manpower, had infrastructure decimated and will end up losing 10-20% of its territory.

"With Trump choosing to change sides"

No. Trump has always been on America's side.

Russia, China and India are not just a part of BRICS, but also SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation)

The Shanghai Five (prior to the SCO)
"Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five group occurred in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1998, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in 1999, and in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2000. At the Dushanbe summit, members agreed to "oppose intervention in other countries' internal affairs on the reason of 'humanitarianism' and 'protecting human rights;' and support the efforts of one another in safeguarding the five countries' national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and social stability."

They know the US overthrew Ukraine in 2014, and have both been subject to the same destabilising efforts. US overthrew Bangladesh government last year, sponsors terrorists in Baluchistan, Xinjang, Myanmar, Thailand etc.

If the West wants to overthrow a country they use protestors up to and including terrorists.
If like in Myanmar a military junta stands in their way, then it's all about promoting democracy.

I don't see anything changing.
If Ukraine couldn't win with US support, it certainly can't do so without it.
Trump will slowly put the screws on all this stuff, but Venezeula was Marco Rubios project, one would think Trump would do a 'oil for immigrants' deal. Stabilising the country economically would give the US the oil it wants, and stop the immigrants.

'Authoritarian regimes' is little more than a catchphrase to denonuce and condemn countries which put up barriers to prevent the collective wests fifth column efforts to destabilise and install puppet governments loyal to western interests.

- Those that attempt to block foreign interference in their countries.

'If the West wants to overthrow a country they use protestors up to and including terrorists.
If like in Myanmar a military junta stands in their way, then it's all about promoting democracy.'

Think I'm wrong?
Here's former special envoy for Venezuela Elliot Abrams
http://x.com/MintPressNews/status/1818347093230068074
'You should support our puppet ruler Juan Guido, not Maduro and we have spoken to oil traders around the world to NOT pay Venezuela in cash'

NO CASH FOR MADURO

Meanwhile...

According to data from the U.S. Department of State and USAID, more than $3.7 billion of U.S. aid has flowed to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, primarily channeled through U.N. agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance.

U.N. Has Flown More Than $2.9 Billion in Cash to Afghanistan Since the Taliban Seized Power, Diverting U.S. Funds
http://www.propublica.org/article/united-nations-cash-afghanistan-following-taliban-takeover
The U.S. State Department has previously said that no U.S. funds went to the militant group, but a new federal report indicates that some taxpayer money has ended up in the Taliban-controlled central bank of Afghanistan.

Deliveries of millions in hard cash prompts concern over financial transparency in Afghanistan
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-11/bags-of-cash-land-in-afghanistan/101716954

PLENTY OF CASH FOR TALIBAN

US war in Afghanistan cost 2.3 trillion.
Look at the war in Ukraine, 1 million Ukrainians KIA.
You think they care about the Ukrainians dying - NO.
You think they care if Venezuelans are eating cats and dogs? - NO

Zoos are forced to slaughter animals to feed others in Venezuela, where bone-thin pumas have become the face of the crisis
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5449023/Venezuelans-eat-rats-dogs-economy-nosedives.html

Is not about the people, they are just a means - tools.
- To push a globalist foreign policy that doesn't even benefit Americans.
They are tools too, as their kids are left with the national debt.
When will you all get it?

The whole world is a corrupt stageshow lead by Bilderberg globalist and Davos elites and sellout bought-and-paid-for politicians who themselves are also just tools.

Venezuela's economic woes started long before the US started sanctioning the leadership.

Maduro, and before him Chavez, are communists. Destroying economies is their special talent. The US aren't sanctioning the people. They are sanctioning the leadership who are stealing from the people. stealing their wealth, stealing their future, stealing food aid and, more often than is comfortable, stealing their lives.

But heh, AC, we're used to you leaping to the defence of totalitarians, communists and mass murderers.

"The US aren't sanctioning the people."
No, they are starving them while their USAID money pays people to stir up shite and blame Maduro for it, so they can install their 'boy'.
Don't you know how the movie goes?

"They are sanctioning the leadership who are stealing from the people. stealing their wealth, stealing food aid and, more often than is comfortable, stealing their lives."
- Venezuela has that much oil everyone in the country should be a millionaire.

I'm not sure if you're a complete idiot, or you just think I am.
You should know by now I'm not that dumb.

"But heh, AC, we're used to you leaping to the defence of totalitarians, communists and mass murderers."

You support Trump unequivocally, he starved the Venezuelan people in his first term, they're eating cats and dogs and Netanyahu starved the Palestinians...
You're like a squealing cheerleader for them, and yet you're actually stupid enough to state this 'stealing their wealth, stealing food aid and, more often than is comfortable, stealing their lives'; in the same comment and claim you're some caring humanitarian.

Are you freaking kidding me?

Israel cuts off aid to Gaza, pressures Hamas to accept new ceasefire plan
http://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/israel-backs-us-proposal-to-extend-gaza-ceasefire-s-first-phase-hamas-wants-to-move-on-to-phase-two-20250302-p5lg7o.html
- 'Accept the deal or we'll starve the lot of you.

'Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not accept a new proposal for an extension of the first phase of a fragile ceasefire.'

I told you weeks back Netanyahu would break the ceasefire himself and that he did a secret deal with his right-wing cohorts that the ceasefire deal would never reach Stage 2, seems like I'm correct again.

"An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the decision to suspend aid was made in co-ordination with the Trump administration."

So Trump supports the starvation policy?

Ukraine- the EU and Brits are losing their collective minds.
Like I said yesterday, they want to fight to the end.
I've also told you neocons have no reverse gear.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

I wrote : “With Trump choosing to change sides and support Putin’s Russia, …”

And you commented :

« No. Trump has always been on America's side. »
.

Good point, mhaze. I reformulate my observation as follows :

« With Trump considering that it is in America’s best interests, he has switched his government’s support from Ukraine to Putin’s Russia. »

A CBS poll conducted 26-28 February 2025 (the televised bullying sequence took place on 28 February) found as follows :

• 4% of the respondents said they “personally support” Russia when it comes to the war. 52% said they personally support Ukraine, while 44% said “neither.”

• Regarding American “military aid to Ukraine,” 51% of respondents in the CBS News/YouGov poll backed it, while 49% said they didn’t.

A few hours prior to the televised bullying sequence, Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, announced that the United States was stopping all cyber offensives against Russia. The decision was part of a broader reassessment of all hostile operations against Moscow.

Zelensky posted the following comment on X two days after the televised bullying sequence :

« We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees. But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for 3 years, and Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side. »

.

(Continued …)

.

.

(Continued …)

.

In my view, Trump’s tactics of submitting Zelensky to the televised bullying session, aided and abetted by Vice President JD Vance, was that he wanted to force Zelensky to accept to stop the war with Russia immediately because he promised the Americans he would do so as soon as he was elected President.

However, Trump appears to think he can't stop Putin and is bent on stopping Zelensky.

To achieve this, either Ukraine has to capitulate or Zelensky has to resign and be replaced by somebody who has Putin's approval.

Zelensky had previously declared that he would agree to resign on condition that Ukraine becomes a member of NATO.

That has not changed, and he continues to have the backing of all the major European countries and several others around the world.

Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, seems to express the reaction of most when she declares :

« The unspeakable row resembled a bad dream and underlined that a new age of infamy has begun », adding that she would « wholeheartedly push for measures that could help Ukraine withstand Russia's aggression even if the US withdraws support, so that it can achieve a just peace and not a capitulation ».

Talking about his role in negotiations to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump said he was "in the middle."

"I'm for both Ukraine and Russia... I want to get it solved," he added.

That remains to be seen.

.

Hi Banjo Patterson.
Firstly I think polls only reflect what the people are 'lead to believe' are the facts.
In my opinion there been so many outright lies, disinfo and misinfo, (much of it paid for), that barely anyone is able to see the bigger picture.
I've shown you that USAID was funding media to wage a propaganda war, if they weren't why would they bother spending the money?
They spent the money to spread lies and instill fear and sell a war.
If all the lies, disinfo and misinfo were laid bare, the people might have a completely different opinion on things.

'United States was stopping all cyber offensives against Russia'
- Yet all we ever heard was about cyber offensives 'by Russia'.

Zelensky: "We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees"

Security guarantees are not part of any peace plan, they are a part of a Ukrainian victory plan, the whole thing is a ruse, which hinges on 1 whether Russia is likely to fall into this trap and accept a ceasefire (they're not) and 2. Whether America is dumb enough to be maneuvered into a position where they have to fight WW3 against Russia on behalf of the Brits and Europeans (they're not).

With this in mind I think the Brits and Europeans are living in a complete fantasy land.

'Trump promised Americans he would stop the war when elected'
Why should he suddenly not keep his promises to his constituents.
All these warmongers scream Trump is a threat to democracy, but is he not trying to uphold it.
It's Europe that wants to continue the war, and hey want Americans to fight it for them.
Why would Trump want to do that?

"However, Trump appears to think he can't stop Putin and is bent on stopping Zelensky."
How can he stop Putin's war in Ukraine.

"To achieve this, either Ukraine has to capitulate or Zelensky has to resign and be replaced by somebody who has Putin's approval."
Ukraine does have to capitulate, and Zelensky does have to resign.
Putin does not need a puppet ruler, just one that wants peace more than they want Ukrainians dying.

"Zelensky had previously declared that he would agree to resign on condition that Ukraine becomes a member of NATO."
- That would mean Russia loses the war as this is what it was all about in the first place. Russia has no choice except to continue the war until Ukrainian military collapses and Ukraine capitulates. Fight to the last Ukrainian.

"That has not changed, and he continues to have the backing of all the major European countries and several others around the world."
- Let them send their troops, and be swept from office when they fail.

Baerbock - 'devoid from reality' like the other EU leaders.
'Just peace' means Russian capitulation and Ukrainian Victory.

>>"I'm for both Ukraine and Russia... I want to get it solved," he added.
That remains to be seen.<<

You say that 'remains to be seen'.

Why don't you put forth a 'plan or solution', and I'll tell you why it won't work.

The Brits and Europeans are doubling down on their 'continue he war' narrative.
UK media claims possible Russia collapse
http://youtu.be/EfIL12DzPOE

Starmer WAR summit. Coalition of willing to fight Russia
http://youtu.be/epugjxUH

Looks like the new plan is the old plan.
Show me a solution that doesn't end in nuclear war.
Putin's not bluffing.

"Venezuela has that much oil everyone in the country should be a millionaire."

Yeah that's what Chavez told them. But the only people who became millionaires were the Chavez family (billionaires actually) and now the Maduro family. But AC won't see that.

"I'm not sure if you're a complete idiot, or you just think I am."

Well more the latter but not a complete idiot. I just think you aren't terribly interested in the truth. Your form a view based on who you see as the enemy and then look for evidence to support the pre-judged view, accepting any propaganda that supports it as unassailable fact and rejecting any evidence that disproves it as complete lies...or sometimes just ignoring it.

eg..I pointed out that the decline in Venezuelan living standards started BEFORE the US started sanctions (except a few sanctions on individual leadership members). Now such a timeline is devastating to your claims, so what do you do. Just straight up ignore it. Don't dispute it; don't try to disprove it...just ignore it. So not a complete idiot, just someone more concerned with the propaganda than the truth.

"I told you weeks back Netanyahu would break the ceasefire..."

The ceasefire expired. Do try to keep up.

Banjo,

"With Trump considering that it is in America’s best interests, he has switched his government’s support from Ukraine to Putin’s Russia"

No. Trump supports a negotiated peace where neither side gets everything it wants. That's why he wanted the minerals deal. But he can't go to Putin to pressure him into accepting a peace that doesn't give him everything he wants while Ukraine is there saying they won't sign up at all unless they get everything they want. Trump's starting point is to get Ukraine to realise that without the US they lose their country. Then he can negotiate with Putin. He'll then be in a position to tell Putin that unless he gves up his maximalist position, the US will double down on Ukrainian aid. This whole notion that its one side ot the other fails to understand international diplomacy. Wars end either by one side being totally defeated or negotiations where each side gives up some part of their original aims.

"A few hours prior to the televised bullying sequence, "

Watch the whole media event, not just the sound bites that have been playing. It ran for 40-odd minutes. And Zelensky was the instigator of the outrage.

I don't play the 'polls say' game because polls aren't what they used to be. But the same poll you are pushing found that approval for handling of the war went from -22& under Biden to +2% under Trump. It also found that those who want a compromise deal went from 31% a year ago to 50% now. and those who say Russia is an enemy of the US fell from 64% to 34%

/cont

/cont
The Europeans are gathering around trying to assure each other that all will be well. They dealt themselves out of the game by laughing at Trump's 2017 suggestion that they up their defence spending. Even now they virtue signal by saying they'll send troops to the front-line. And then quietly whispering that they'll only do it if the US is there.

Trump policy is America First. There is little in Ukraine that matters to the US. They've spent vastly more to prop up the Ukrainian regime than any other nation or group of nations. And those people, like the EU, demand they spend more still. Well that's not America First. Recent studies have shown that Europe is sending more money to Russia via oil sales than they are sending to Ukraine. The US under Trump is no longer a patsy.

The world is changing and Europe doesn't realise that they no longer matter. If Zelensky thinks he can get from Europe what he can no longer get from the US, he's about to heavily disabused

'but it was a minor supportive role'.
If you think 5 billion and CIA covert action under USAID is a minor supporting role, then that's up to you.

"The Europeans are gathering around trying to assure each other that all will be well."
"The world is changing and Europe doesn't realise that they no longer matter."
- They don't have the money, the manpower or the firepower to do anything.
All they can do is yell and scream, like Hillary supporters when she lost the election to Trump.
He's just gone and cut all military aid to Ukraine in response to their 'coalition of the willing'.

Checkmate.

You know I was thinking about something.
- And it's actually a pretty big revelation.
(Not that I haven't spent years telling you such)

Britain and Europe were ill-prepared for democracy.
They all assumed the new US President should continue the same policies.

Look at the global efforts to impeach / discredit / sue / denigrate.
They were going to take control of his business empire.
They gave him mugshots, labelled him a rapist.
Impeached him for investigating Biden's wrongdoing.

(regardless of how one feels about the man)

What does that say about all of our democracies?
The way the UK and Europe are losing their collective minds hysterically right now?
THEY WEREN'T AT ALL PREPARED TO ACCEPT DEMOCRACY, A CHOICE BY THE PEOPLE.

Well obviously democracy is not a choice by the people.
It's a continuation of set policies no matter whose in charge.
Are our leaders not all just branch managers and their policies a continuation of that which big business / elites / political donors and bureaucrats want?
That we citizens decide little, if nothing at all?

- Trumps election proves that's exactly how it is.

.

Zelensky was certainly unprepared for what awaited him that Friday, 28 February, when he arrived at the Whitehouse to sign the minerals agreement with Trump.

He walked into an ambuscade, filmed live on TV, surrounded by a horde of carefully chosen journalists monitored by Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance. He was immediately submitted to a gruelling discussion with Trump, sequenced by aggressive interjections from Vance.

Zelensky had been set up. The whole scene had been carefully planned and orchestrated. He was bullied and humiliated. A journalist even had the nerve to ask him why he was not wearing a suit.

The question was posed by Brian Glenn, the Chief White House Correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a right-wing network with a show lineup chock-full of Trump allies.

Trump subsequently told Zelensky to leave the Whitehouse without signing the minerals agreement.

Zelensky did not cede to Trump’s bullying tactics. Consequently, Trump decided to suspend all military aid to Ukraine.

Trump continues to declare that he wants peace. But suspending military assistance to Ukraine does not achieve peace — it has exactly the opposite effect. It facilitates and encourages Russia’s continued aggression.

By suspending military aid, Trump is ensuring that Putin has no real reason to stop the war — Russia can now capitalize on Ukraine’s and America’s weaknesses to take more land, kill, rape and torture more people, kidnap more children and destroy more towns cities and villages.

Trump accuses Zelensky of being a dictator who does not respect democracy and does not have the support of his people – all of which is false. Zelensky even has more support than Trump — Zelensky 57%, Trump 46% (http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/). Both were democratically elected, but the Ukrainian Constitution prevents any further elections of any sort during periods of martial law due to war.

Also, in my view, Zelensky’s Churchillian democracy is preferable to Trump’s fledgling autocracy (cf. his steady stream of executive orders seeking to consolidate power in the White House and upend long held policies and norms, weakening the application of the principle of the separation of powers).

.

.

Zelensky offers a partial ceasefire with Russia to restart peace talks

.

Here is an interesting article in The Washington Post on this new offer by Zelensky :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/04/trump-ukraine-aid-pause-reaction/

.

Hi Banjo,

I can only agree with what you said above. Trump is fast becoming like another fella from history, a democratically elected dictator. Zelensky and Ukraine, and its people, are just another tool to be cynically exploited in the name of "peace". How sick that sounds.

So I guess that's a 'NO' from Banjo in regards to watching the entire 40 minute meeting rather than the soundbites fed to an anxious public.

"Zelensky had been set up. The whole scene had been carefully planned and orchestrated. "

Zelensky had requested the photo op and asked that the press be allowed to witness the discussions.

But that doesn't suit the narrative so we'll pretend it didn't happen.

Russia refuses to freeze Ukraine war, rejects proposal for ceasefire along frontline 26 Feb 2025
http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-refuses-to-freeze-ukraine-war-rejects-proposal-for-ceasefire-along-the-frontline-in-ukraine-8759521

>>Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made it clear that there will be no ceasefire along the contact line in Ukraine, Russian state media reported on Wednesday (Feb 26).
Lavrov emphasised that Russia has a constitution to uphold and cannot agree to any deals that would involve further arming the Ukrainian government.
"We have a constitution," he said, adding that such a cessation in fighting is not feasible.
The Russian Foreign Minister also highlighted that they will not accept any agreements that involve further arming the Ukrainian government.
"It is impossible to enter into agreements that would involve pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons again," he concluded.
Lavrov had earlier rejected the notion of deploying European peacekeepers to Ukraine, stating that Russia hasn't received any such proposal and doesn't view it as a viable option.<<

How many times do I have to spell it out for you lot?
Image you are watching a boxing match, the fighters are in the 12th round and half way through the round the losing fighter 'proposes a ceasefire'.
The other fighter isn't going to stop until 'Mr Ceasefire is on the canvas lights out or the end of the fight'
You people are deluding yourselves.

From Banjo's WP article:
"The idea for a partial ceasefire was originally floated by France, which suggested a potential one-month “truce in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure,” which could be better monitored than ground fighting along the lengthy front line. If it holds, a truce could be paired with negotiations on security guarantees and other issues, and followed by a potential European troop deployment in the event of a settlement."

It's a ruse to rearm, bring in 'foreign peacekeepers' and back them with security guarantees that would create a tripwire that commits US forces to fight Russians.

Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals deal - Thu 27 Feb
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/26/trump-no-significant-security-guarantees-ukraine-minerals-deal

Russia says NO. Trump says NO.

The Europeans can jump up and down screaming all they want but it won't change anything.
Remember Putin / Trump phone call a few weeks back? Europeans were complaining they didn't get a seat at the table.
They are irrellevant. They had 3 years for peace but are committed to Ukrainian victory.
They don't have the money, manpower or weapons to affect anything. They have no cards to play.
Trump will exit Europe and cut their LNG.

http://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114098542644386176
Trump: "TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!"

Trump doesn't even have to sign any minerals deal.
Russia already dangled that carrot.
http://youtu.be/i7Ri0Z5zQ4I

And China isn't concerned about it.

Xi tells Putin that China is pleased with Russia’s efforts to end Ukraine war
http://apnews.com/article/xi-putin-china-russia-ukraine-9f4ce5483298822edf8878c9b3d9ca00

Meanwhile...

Trump considers selling hundreds of government buildings
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-doj-fbi-lease-sale-courthouses-b2708952.html

Trump’s FBI pick has plans to reshape the bureau. This is what Kash Patel has said he wants to do
http://apnews.com/article/fbi-trump-patel-fisa-russia-2d215ded96ad8a08689b6f7f0b2d49ec

Kash Patel: “I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’” Patel said in an interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” that aired in September. “Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops — go be cops.”

Drain the swamp.

Listen to an expert

Prof. John Mearsheimer : What I'd Tell Lavrov
http://www.youtube.com/live/XYzesWfrSms?t=664

Its all very well for the Russian leadership to be running around playing tough guy - we won't agree to this; we won't agree to that; give us everything we want or die; zero compromise. But the fact is that the Russian economy is unravelling and they are in just as much a dire need for and end to the mayhem as the Ukrainians.

Russian economy:
*21% interest rates.

* Inflation rates unknown because the government is hiding the data but at least 20%

*Sergei Chemezov, head of the defence giant Rostec, said “If we continue like this[20% interest rates], most companies will essentially go bankrupt..."

* Around 800,000 of the young and best-educated have left the country. A similar number dead or maimed on the battle front.

* "Russia’s digital minister says the shortage of IT workers is around 600,000. The defence industry has 400,000 unfilled positions. The total labour shortage is near 5m."

*Oil earnings have halved since 2022 and the Saudis are talking about upping production to recover market share. (Is trump encouraging them?)

* Russian oil is at $65 a barrel. IF it fell to $45 which is predicted, it'd all be over.

*Russian Gold reserves and the National Wealth Fund have been raided and are at half their 2022 levels.

* Russia's military reserves are so bad that they couldn't lift a finger to help Assad and had to ask Turkey to save their troops. They are now using donkeys to transport supplies!!

Now that Trump has given Zelensky a clip behind the ear and dragged him into a semblance of reality, its time to do the same to Putin.

Russia won't get everything it wants. In the same way that Trump got Ukrainian attention by cutting off supplies, he could just as easily get Russian attention by increasing supplies. Better still, increase oil production and cut the price. Why were the meetings held in Riyad?

Stand-by. the fun is just beginning.

"*Russian Gold reserves and the National Wealth Fund have been raided and are at half their 2022 levels."
http://www.sacbee.com/paid/sponsored-articles/article300673329.html

"International gold reserves are usually steady, and the rankings of the countries with the largest reserves rarely change. However, that trend has been changing, as Russia recently overtook China, despite China’s affinity for gold, to become the fifth-largest gold reserve in the world. Russia has accumulated more than 2,336 tons of gold — or $200 billion worth of the precious metal — edging out China’s 2,264 tons gold reserve."

I'm told the value is currently 230 billion.

If you are wrong about that mhaze, then what else are you wrong about.
Maybe this:

"* Russian oil is at $65 a barrel. IF it fell to $45 which is predicted, it'd all be over."

http://energyandcleanair.org/november-2024-monthly-analysis-of-russian-fossil-fuel-exports-and-sanctions/

"A lower price cap of USD 30 per barrel (still well above Russia’s production cost, which averages USD 15 per barrel) would have slashed Russia’s oil export revenue by 25% (EUR 74 bn) from the start of the sanctions until the end of November 2024. A USD 30 per barrel price cap would have slashed Russian revenues by 23% (EUR 2.58 bn) in November alone."

Under your illusion, new oil projects in West Texas would go bust.
Google 'production cost of next texas oil wells'

According to recent data, the production cost of a new oil well in Texas, particularly in the Permian Basin, averages around $62 per barrel to break even, meaning that oil prices need to be at least this high to cover drilling and production costs for a new well; however, this can vary depending on the specific location and geological conditions within the basin, with some areas requiring higher prices to be profitable.

The breakeven price for existing wells in the Permian region is $38 per barrel.
The average WTI oil price was between $77 and $81 per barrel around the time of the survey.
America would do as much harm to it's own oil companies going down that route.

You're listening to the schemes of Russia haters who are so drunk on harming Russia and winning at any cost that they haven't even checked to find out how badly their short-sighted policies would harm themselves, and Russia can still pump oil at a profit AND still find buyers.

LIVE: Trump State Of The Union Address with Stephen Gardner
http://www.youtube.com/live/k2-__-1dVS4

I haven't had time to watch yet, been battening everything down before Cyclone Alfred makes landfall,
- and I'm in Brisbane's 'Redlands' - more or less right in its path about a klm from the shoreline.

"Russian Gold reserves and the National Wealth Fund have been raided and are "

I was talking about the NWF and the gold reserves within it. These have fallen from a reported $US186B just prior to the invasion in 2022 to a reported $us87.5B at the end of 2024.

Other gold reserves aren't really all that relevant since much of it isn't really liquid. But it has also been reported that gold reserves held by Russian banks have fallen by 46% in the last year as citizen starting hoarding gold as a hedge against inflation and the fall of the rouble.

As to oil, again, what you're talking about isn't relevant. The US isn't reliant on oil sales to prop up its entire economy. So even if prices fell and forced some frackers out of the market, it would be a mere blip on the screens for the US economy whereas it'd be a monumental disaster for Russia and the Putin kleptocracy.

So again, the Russian economy is rapidly fraying at the edges and is desperate for a reprieve. They might talk tough about not allowing any compromise but when the rubber meets the road, they'll be open to all sorts of compromise. And when they do, you'll tell us it was total victory for them.

Just watched the Trump address, it was pretty good.
definitely worth the watch.

'Peace through strength' we heard.
And I was thinking, yes when you have the right leadership.
Who are pragmatic and display leadership and common sense.

And then... 'Oh gawd'. this feckin moron.

Anthony Albanese says he’s ‘open’ to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/anthony-albanese-says-hes-open-to-sending-peacekeeping-troops-to-ukraine-says-he-will/news-story/b81f34f73b3321695ba74493f90c5919

We already know that Russia won't accept a ceasefire.
They'll consider any peacekeepers as enemy combatants.

Will the media sell us a load of BS?

Peace through strength.
How do you have peace through strength when your leaders are the weakest most pathetic excuses of grovelling yes-men you can get.
I remember when Albo won the election.
Standing behind him at the acceptance were a tribe of women.
Each looking like they had bigger nuts than him.

Trump had the balls to openly piss all over wokeness today.
That was refreshing.

Albo's getting drunk off 2 shandys down at the Mardi Gras and wetting himself over Kylie Minougue.
What a fairy, this country is so done for with these people in charge.

I think I know why Trump respects Putin
- Because he's not a whiny little b*tch subordinate like ours and the rest of the Collective Wests excuses for woke male leadership.

I imagine under the right circumstances Trump and Putin would sit back
Trump tasting Putins best vodka and Putin tasting Trumps best souther whiskey and they would both laugh their arses off at all of these pissweak woke losers.

Imagine if Trump had've drained the swamp in his first term.
The West hates strong male leadership.

UK PM Starmer Tells Zelensky: We Stand With Ukraine For As Long As It May Take
http://youtu.be/wQvlq6FYdGA

He's got Putin derangement syndrome

Ursula von der Leyen: A free and sovereign Ukraine is in the interest of the entire world
http://youtu.be/CMU4fxIZ1_I

All she cares about is her new slush fund

Meanwhile in Ukraine...

http://x.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1895899745706754239
http://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1895752927991792126
http://x.com/RTH36598411/status/1896443933653373121
http://x.com/NewRulesGeo/status/1874803442083881055
http://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1878795870948442453
http://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1874553686808260677
http://x.com/ShadeyGamez/status/1896597670124515546
http://x.com/TheJBlackMamba/status/1895848375154852062

http://x.com/SMO_VZ/status/1896301636773101685

And you idiots think I'm on the wrong side of things...

.

Dear mhaze,

.

You wrote :

« Zelensky had requested the photo op and asked that the press be allowed to witness the discussions. »
.

In that case, I suppose he felt he was about to accomplish something historic that should be recorded for posterity.

Little did he know that the something historic was his crucifixion.

.

.

The following comments of Senator Elissa Slotkin resonate with my own ideas on the subject …
.

[ Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on Wednesday declared that Donald Trump echoing pro-Russia propaganda and attacking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marks a “really disturbing day” as the U.S. president looks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Slotkin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Homeland Security Committee, told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace that Ukrainians are now seeing the U.S. “walking away” from defending democracy in favour of “siding with the aggressor, with the autocratic regime.”

“I can’t overstate how different this is in the post-World War II America, and I think Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave right now,” said Slotkin, who was part of a bipartisan delegation that recently met with Zelenskyy in Munich.

She continued, “To watch a Republican administration, after all he did to help us win the Cold War, now not only sort of supporting Putin’s position at the table but just sort of gushing over him in this bromance that they have.”

Trump falsely claimed that Ukraine “started” the war in 2022, which led Zelenskyy to declare that the U.S. president was in a Russian-made “disinformation space.”

Trump hit back by calling Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections,” comments that led some Republican lawmakers to stress that Russian President Vladimir Putin was the “evil” and “murderous” dictator.

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion of the country, thus suspending its elections.

Slotkin said the moves by Trump have made European allies “hedge” what they share with the U.S. and added that the Chinese government is “taking notes.”

“They’re looking and they’re basically saying, ‘America just doesn’t have the willpower to actually defend when a democracy is invaded, that’s important for us to know because maybe we’re interested in taking over a territory like Taiwan,’” she said.

“So, I just think it’s not just about Ukraine, it’s about the signal it sends about America retreating from the world and being totally fine to cede leadership to places like Russia or China.” ]

.

Hi Banjo,

Trump's speech to Congress, is there a German translation? The Fuhrer wants to hear it, taking notes for his next speech!

"In that case, I suppose he felt he was about to accomplish something historic that should be recorded for posterity."

Well no one quite knows why he wanted the commercial deal signed in the WhiteHouse when they'd normally be signed in some embassy which was the original plan. The working theory is that he hoped to shame Trump into agreeing to security guarantees in front of the world and that he was encouraged in that by the Democrats who he'd met with before the WhiteHouse meeting. It backfired big time.

The US isn't going to give security guarantees. Under the doctrine of America First, Ukraine is a side issue. The US no longer sees its role as being to defend every country that claims to be democratic no matter where they are in the world.

Trump can't just walk away because Biden had locked the US into a bad deal. But he wants to get a peace deal done that stands a chance of succeeding and then leave the Europeans to worry about Europe.

Russia is no longer a threat to the US. It hasn't been since 1989. Remember when Obama mocked Romney in 2012 for saying Russia was a threat calling it a 1980's policy? Obama was right!! But then Hilary concocted the whole Russian collusion fantasy and suddenly the Democrats were fanatical anti-Russian.

Zelensky started talking about how, eventually, the Atlantic wouldn't protect the US from Russia, But its rubbish and Trump smacked him down for talking rubbish. Russia isn't a threat to the US. It's army has been shown to be a paper tiger and Poland and its immediate allies will be able to handle it. Additionally, Russia is now pushed out of any Middle Eastern role. So there is no longer any reason for the US and Russia to oppose each other and plenty of reasons for them to adopt a level of rapprochement.

The Europeans aren't happy with that but they no longer figure in US calculations. Trump as usual is ahead of the curve but most USians are now on-board with his thinking.

The Europeans and Ukraine are desperate to try to lock the US into security guarantees for the Ukrainian border. They want US boots on the ground in a nation that holds no particular strategic value to the US.

The European leadership grew up in an age when Europe could criticise the US for its lack of social security systems, lack of a welfare state, and yet demand as a right US protection that they themselves refused to provide.

For decades, the US has spent around 5% of GDP on defence which was used to also defend Europe while the Europeans spent less than 2% and used to rest to provide its welfare state. Trump warned them in 2017 that the world was changing but they laughed at his naivety. Well no more.

Recently Ursula von der Leyen, Head of the European Commission was pushing to put troops on the ground in Ukraine. She was asked if any of her kids were in the military. She laughed and said effectively "of course not". The leaders never send their own kids to fight these wars.

The Europeans have been quite happy to ridicule the rednecks from middle America while nonetheless demanding that they have access to the taxes from those same people and their kids lives. They are shocked that Trump is saying no more and can't quite work out what to do about it.

They keep saying they'll spend more on defence then dills like Stammer say they'll increase spending by 0.2% !! He then says he'll send kids from someone else's family to defend Ukraine while also demanding the US does the same.

The world is changing. Trump knows it and is delivering the change that best suits the US and his supporters. The Europeans are bamboozled by it all and just want things to go back to the good old days of the Cold War.

https://x.com/MatthewNichol5/status/1895607814133059597
'Rumor has is that traitors Anthony Blinken, Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, and Alexander Vindman advised Zelensky to stand tall in his meeting with Trump. If true, they are acting as foreign agents violating the Logan Act.'

'The US isn't going to give security guarantees.'
- Bes they are going to get is the mineral deal.
It means the US has business interests in Ukraine for the coming decades.

"Russia isn't a threat to the US."
No, they're not, but it doesn't mean Russia isn't prepared to fight NATO if they have no choice. "It's army has been shown to be a paper tiger and Poland and its immediate allies will be able to handle it."
- They are no a paper tiger. They've had the worst economic sanctions placed on them than any other country, and are still advancing on the battlefield with a million dead Ukrainians even though some 50 countries including the US has provided military and financial support to Ukraine, and Poland gets smacked down by the US anytime they suggest intercepting Russian missiles over Ukraine.

"Additionally, Russia is now pushed out of any Middle Eastern role. So there is no longer any reason for the US and Russia to oppose each other and plenty of reasons for them to adopt a level of rapprochement."
They are part of OPEC and have a strategic partnership with Iran.

"The Europeans and Ukraine are desperate to try to lock the US into security guarantees for the Ukrainian border."
- It's a trap, and a continuation of the Ukrainian victory plan.
Both Trump and Putin are aware of the situation and say NO.
Trump wants peace and Putin wants peace too, but will continue the war unless its aims aren't achieved.

Trump may be draining the swamp, but he's still got the blob to contend with, but they have no cards, and will get smacked.

Trump smackdown with Z-stein worked. Z agrees to do EVERYTHING Trump wants. Trump's Congress speech.
http://youtu.be/BFaYpMA7dxk

Some people have a Unique way of putting things.
Emil is one of them.

Meanwhile...

Ukrainians are having a crack at Torestsk, trying to show they can still counter attack, and trying to take some mines.
(Notice the news at the start, Putin has removed war restrictions)

Critical Situation Near Pokrovsk and Toretsk
http://youtu.be/xXAHmvMjdVc

Democracts are hysterical after Trumps address to Congress

Elizabeth Warren & Rachel Maddow JUST said the UNTHINKABLE about Trump!
http://www.youtube.com/live/-12mavlF3Lo

And Israels back in trouble with the ICJ

SHOCK Shift At The ICJ Worst Possible News For Israel!
http://youtu.be/MqNIA29AGcU

- And not to mention US cut all intelligence to Ukraine because of Zelensky and Starmer / Macrons / Ursulas antics.

United States cuts off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA director confirms
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-06/trump-zelenskyy-intelligence-sharing-war-ukraine-putin-russia/105016086

Obviously when Trump asked Starmer if he could fight Russia by himself a week ago he didn't get the message, they are just too invested to walk away, yet.

"SHOCK Shift At The ICJ Worst Possible News For Israel!"

Who cares what the ICJ says or does? Certainly not Israel. The very fact that people cheer the change in personnel to a more anti-Israel member shows that its far from unbiased.

To paraphrase someone else, "How many division have they got?"

_________________________________________________________________

Trump smackdown with Z-stein worked."

We'll ignore the racist nomenclature, shall we?. But of course it worked. Trump doesn't play around with these things but he had to drag Zelensky and the Europeans into something approaching the real world.

Paper-tiger.

Russia started the war with what was assumed to be the second best army in the world after the US. But they've been utterly humiliated by a third world country with barely a quarter of its population. Even before any western assistance of any real note arrived on the scene their attack on Kiev ended as a monumental debacle from which they've never really recovered.

They've lost 800,000 of their youth to immigration to avoid conscription and a similar number to the meat-grinder in the DonBass. The nation was already facing demographic Armageddon. These were the young men sorely needed to father the next generation in a declining population, and they are no more.

Russian industry has failed to keep up with their army's needs so they are buying munitions from North Korea and Iran and dragging WW2 surplus out of storage...even using donkeys for transport.

Sure their opponents are being supplied by the west but most of it is old technology. The Russians haven't really faced much of the west's best armaments and when they do they get smashed.

Poland is building a formidable force getting the best of US, Israeli and South Korean war technology plus building their own home-grown military industry. The Russian army, even with a big numerical advantage wouldn't survive a war with Poland.

Which is why Russia is no longer a menace for Europe/NATO and why Trump and the US want out. The Cold War is over. Russia lost. They tried to make a comeback and have lost that as well.

Europe will need to work out how to live with a weakened and grumbling Russia. But its no longer the US's problem .

China OTOH would have been looking on with interest. China has never really reconciled to what they consider the theft Siberia by the Tsar in the late 19th century. It would be clear to the Chinese that, if they ever decide to recover those lands, the Russia army won't be much of an obstacle.

......

Unless the Russian army had the backing of the USA. Just saying.

I've been going back over some of what I wrote earlier in the war to see what I got right, got wrong or misunderstood.

Back in September 2022 (note 2022) I wrote..."In the longer term, it is now apparent that NATO is no longer needed. The next Republican leader is likely to begin the process of pulling the US out of Europe."

http://tiny.cc/i0bc001

Pretty chuffed at how prescient that was.

"Russia started the war with what was assumed to be the second best army in the world after the US. But they've been utterly humiliated by a third world country with barely a quarter of its population."

There's only 3 superpowers in the world mhaze.
And Russia are still advancing, with a quarter of the worlds nations including the US giving training and / or sending miltary equipment. If not for that, they would've capitalated in 3 weeks.

"Even before any western assistance of any real note arrived on the scene their attack on Kiev ended as a monumental debacle from which they've never really recovered."
- That's because you still cling onto BS and don't even understand what their aims were. They wanted to force Ukraine to the negotiating table, they never wanted a f---ing war.

Lavrov on Trump, Kosovo, and Taiwan | Russian-English Interpretation
http://youtu.be/3e-xeuD1kRc

"These were the young men sorely needed to father the next generation in a declining population, and they are no more."
- Do you know what the ratio of women to men are in Ukraine now?
20:1

Russian industry has failed to keep up with their army's needs so they are buying munitions from North Korea and Iran and dragging WW2 surplus out of storage...even using donkeys for transport.
- They're cheap and expendable.

"Sure their opponents are being supplied by the west but most of it is old technology. The Russians haven't really faced much of the west's best armaments and when they do they get smashed."
- What hasn't the West sent.

"Poland is building a formidable force getting the best of US, Israeli and South Korean war technology plus building their own home-grown military industry. The Russian army, even with a big numerical advantage wouldn't survive a war with Poland."
- Poland got their asses handed to them every other time, and they will get their asses handed to them again.

"Which is why Russia is no longer a menace for Europe/NATO and why Trump and the US want out."
- Trump genuinely wants peace it seems.
"They tried to make a comeback and have lost that as well."
- You're a USAID propaganda chump.

Europe will need to work out how to live with a weakened and grumbling Russia. But its no longer the US's problem.
- They're not weakened. Christopher Kavoli commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe openly stated Russia will end this war stronger than they began.

"Unless the Russian army had the backing of the USA. Just saying."
- More western BS o try and drive a wedge, because USA knows it can't beat them both together you moron.

>>Back in September 2022 (note 2022) I wrote..."In the longer term, it is now apparent that NATO is no longer needed. The next Republican leader is likely to begin the process of pulling the US out of Europe."<<

Good job. But now I'll up your ante and point out that European nation states themselves will start to push back against the EU, because they are increasingly moving to the right and becoming more nationalist and sick of Brussels telling them how to run their own countries, and EU supports this war because expanding the EU increases their ability to centralise their power and project it onto the EU nation sates.

EU is not a country.

.

This brief extract from a Washington Monthly article published on the 24th of February 2025 rings as a eulogy of the great America buried by Trump :

.

« Donald Trump and the End of American Global Leadership »
.

We prided ourselves on being fair, decent, truthful, and reliable—and generally tried to act that way in the world, including by fighting for the freedom of others and brokering peace in far-flung disputes. We shared our intelligence with other countries; we promoted their development. People from more cynical places sometimes found us naïve, but we instilled respect and admiration, and other nations aspired to be like us, free and democratic. We weren’t selfless—far from it. But we didn’t see international relations as a zero-sum game. Our allies’ strength didn’t diminish us—and sometimes, we won just because they did.

If Trump believes in any of that, he has yet to show it. His temperament is nothing like the small-town American ideal, which is not only upright but sunny and hopeful, including about other people. He’s so eager to reach a deal with Russia that he doesn’t seem to care if it’s fair. His lies about Ukraine—who started the war, how much the U.S. has spent to support Kyiv, and Zelensky’s popularity, all of it borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda—make a mockery of the truth and our reputation as an honest broker. (In fact, European nations have contributed $139 billion to the war effort, while the U.S. kicked in $120 billion, not $350 billion, as Trump claims. And Zelensky is seen favourably by 57 percent of Ukrainians, not 4 percent, as Trump has it.)

In just a few short weeks, Trump has turned what was once the indispensable nation into another squabbling player in a chaotic world sure to grow even more dangerous and disorderly without American leadership. Europe will struggle to replace us but is unlikely to fill the void as our adversaries take advantage of the vacuum.

R.I.P. America
Lest we forget

http://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=the%20last%20post%20bugle&mid=2280468843C71F3B1A072280468843C71F3B1A07&ajaxhist=0

Here is the full article :

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/02/24/donald-trump-and-the-end-of-american-global-leadership/

.

Coming out of DC the Washington Monthly is inevitably left leaning - how could it be otherwise. Now that doesn't make its view automatically wrong but it ought to be held in back of mind while reading its output.

Obama once said "Elections have consequences". Well America had an election and it has consequences. Americans voted for America First. They don't want to expend money and lives on saving the world from itself. They don't want to be the world's policeman any longer.

The left have been claiming from day one that Trump is a warmonger, and now complain that he wants peace.

We see this all the time from the left - the notion that after electoral victory the winner should adopt the policies of the loser - if the loser is the left. I'll guarantee that if the Libs win the upcoming election we'll see articles in (y)our ABC explaining how its now imperative that the Libs adopt the ALP's policies.

If the left and the Europeans want to continue to fight this war, let them do it. But do it without US money and US lives. The outcome in Ukraine has no consequences for the US (just as it has no consequences for Australia) and Trump will therefore extract his country from the ill-considered policy of going all in on defeating Putin.

The world changed on the election of Trump although that was merely a symptom of the change rather than a cause. The US elite who have been happy to throw money and US lives (although not those of their own kin) at every perceived problem around the world, are no longer in power. The MAGA working/middle class finally found their voice and their spokesman and they are now the ruling force in DC. Their interests, not those of people sipping chardonnay on the left bank of the Seine, are what governs America's priorities.

It will take a long time and not a few heartaches for many to come to realise the new reality.

"There's only 3 superpowers in the world mhaze."

No. there are two. Russia is a third world country with nukes. That doesn't make them a superpower. When the US took on Iraq in 1991 it was fighting the 4th biggest army on the planet. It defeated that army in 3 days. And it had to fight on the other side of the planet. That's a superpower. Russia can't even defeat a flung-together force in 3 years while fighting on its own borders and it turns out struggles to defend those borders. That's a nation in decline. Its true that Ukraine has benefited from western supplies but that doesn't mean squat and never forget that the Russian thrust on Kiev in the opening week of the war was thoroughly defeated long before western supplies arrived.

When I point out the diabolical effect the loss of Russia's youth in this stupid war has on Russian demographics, you change the subject to Ukraine. Yep its had a diabolic effect on them as well, but just because it as bad on Kiev and it is on Moscow, doesn't change my point. Being that Russia, already facing demographic armageddon in the next few decades, accelerated even further down that hill by frittering away the cream of its youth. And that further shows that Russia is no longer a threat to Europe.

"Poland got their asses handed to them every other time, and they will get their asses handed to them again."

Oh well, if you say so. BTW, just to help your understanding of history, for much of the middle ages Poland was the major power in the central Europe and when they were defeated in the 20th century, it was by the Germans, not the Soviets. But facts...meh!

"More western BS o try and drive a wedge, because USA knows it can't beat them both together you moron."

I notice you get very emotional every time I point out that Russia/China relations aren't all fairy dust and roses. Just hoping your beloved Russian empire will continue into perpetuity isn't really all that smart. Again, Russia is in severe decline. The consequences of that decline were seen in 1991 when it lost a sizable part of its empire. More is to come as avaricious neighbours see its weakness which is fully on display in the DonBass.

Official Chinese maps still show places like Vladivostok and Baikal with their Chinese names. China hasn't given up on reversing the Treaty of Aigun and the Convention of Peking. Its just that, at the moment, its to their advantage to keep Russia as a vassal state.

But history shows that as empires fall into decline, their neighbours who were almost always badly treated when the empire was strong, seek to recover territory, resources and a little revenge. Russia humiliated China in the 1860s. Retribution will come. China has a long memory.

A Russia in accelerating decline won't be able to resist these neighbours. They can barely resist Ukraine now...who knows what'll be like in a decade or two.

Seeking the protection of others who don't have territorial claims against it might be the only way Russia survives into the future

Hi Banjo,
Your article by Tamar Jacoby...
- Definitely a well-paid swamp creature that one.
And not an unbiased source of info either:
She's director of the New Ukraine Project over at the Progressive Policy Institute.
History includes Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Hudson Institute
Past Hudson Institute honorees include Nikki Haley, Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, Joseph Lieberman, Benjamin Netanyahu, David Petraeus, and Shinzo Abe.
Hudson Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Notable funders of the Institute include the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. she served on the advisory board of the National Endowment for the Humanities, founded ImmigrationWorks USA and Opportunity America in 2014.

Definite pig, snout and (deepstate) trough that one.
With a nice woke haircut to boot.

If you want to know about Russiagate and all the corruption that began prior to Trumps 2016 electoral win, watch this.
- And if you don't know it, then you don't have the backstory to even discuss it or (no offense) parrot the bs lying talking points related to Meuller and all the rest of the corrupt gang.
- Helping to ruin America.

Watch. Learn.

SETH RICH? - KASH PATEL VS THE FBI - WITH RAY MCGOVERN
http://www.youtube.com/live/Qc5FmxnPFN4

"Russia is a third world country with nukes."
- You can do better than that, you could've said 'It's a gas station masquerading as a country' a phrase McCain coined when he was working tirelessly to topple other countries.

America is trying to make peace, in part because they don't want it remembered as a strategic defeat of the US and NATO.

"When I point out the diabolical effect the loss of Russia's youth in this stupid war has on Russian demographics, you change the subject to Ukraine." because it's a nothing number and probably exaggerated too from the claptrap you listen to and regurgitate. Russia lost 27 million in WWII and hasn't even gone to he lengths of actually rating this adventure an ACTUAL war. And there's a million dead Ukrainians, and probably magnitudes more wounded who will not return to battle or civilian life.

"I notice you get very emotional every time I point out that Russia/China relations aren't all fairy dust and roses."
I don't get emotional, I get frustrated listening to your know-it-all clueless garbage.
It's like you've been infected with deepstate brain-worms.

""Russia is a third world country with nukes."
- You can do better than that,"

Oh I think its rather descriptive. Not to mention accurate. I note you don't even try to disprove it.

" Russia lost 27 million in WWII "

Well 20 million anyway. And it took them two generations to recover demographically from that. But Russia this time was already in demographic decline BEFORE Putin started slaughtering his own people on a vainglorious enterprise. One of the first things Putin tried to do on gaining power was to try to reverse the declining population. He ws failing. The UN agencies have predicted that the Russian population would be halved by 2100. And that was BEFORE they started killing their youth.

A nation trying to reverse demographic decline needs the 20-35 yr old generation to create the next generation, hopefully larger but at least not smaller, than their own. They were already failing that and now with so many rotting in the trenches of the DonBass, the chances of reversing the decline are gone.

"I don't get emotional, I get frustrated listening to your know-it-all clueless garbage."

But again I note that you don't try to disprove it. Just whining that it isn't true because you don't want it to be true doesn't really work with me.

Third world countries don't look like this

Kazan
http://youtu.be/mGZ8OP1urIs
St Petersburg
http://youtu.be/9-7M1R3I5sc
Moscow
http://youtu.be/n6jEjkxnH84

They look like this

America
http://youtu.be/p5AeGKSDVdE

As for Australia, we'd be going backwards if it wasn't for the import of Muslims.

Oh and lets not forget the Hillary Clinton fake Russiagate story lead to the illegal FISA warrants, and spying on the Trump campaign and in Trump Tower, but people can believe the lies and argue that Trump is a danger to democracy, when in truth he Was the person elected by the people to serve the will of the people and in trying to do just that was a danger to the administrative state, who get rich off conflict, whether that be bankers profiting from conflict, whether that be the MIC and foreign wars, Big Pharma and killing people with unsaf vaccines or kickbacks of NGO's and lobbyists who only destroy the country and lobby for more funding (for NGO's and lobbyists) like a well-oiled self-serving machine that actually spits in the face of democracy and serves only the pigs with their snouts in the trough whilst robbing the hard working taxpayers who watch their nation crumbling around them in despair.

AC of the constantly rolling eyes.

Those cities were built prior to 1919 ... built under the czars.

Yes a couple of buildings were erected under communism .. but not many.

Why don't you go to Russia?

Undoubtedly you would find an place to live similar to that you live in Australia. I believe apartments there even have fridges.

"Why don't you go to Russia?
Undoubtedly you would find an place to live similar to that you live in Australia. I believe apartments there even have fridges."

Don't you watch the news WhiteMouse?
Unfortunately due to the sanctions and the shortage of semiconductors Russia's been taking them from fridges and washing machines, so that's a no-go right now.

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Maybe I could suggest you go to Ukraine and join the foreign legion?
Or maybe go hang out with drunk Albo at the Mardi Gras or your other friends at Rainbow Storytime, since you voted for him?
- I suppose that makes you party responsible for this immigration and housing crisis doesn't it?
Thank you so much for doing your bit and helping to destroy the country.

You seem pretty supportive of Israel, why don't you go live there?
You might get to kill women and babies or run over them in Merkava tanks and such.
Maybe you could go hang out with these IDF in Thailand who earlier today got chased down and beaten up by the local ladyboys when they refused to pay for their 'services'?

http://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1897828417610887595

There's a new TikTok trend in Israel, you call your distant Israeli relatives and ask them for donations for the children of Gaza.
It's so funny don't you think?
- But not nearly as funny as those IDF being chased down by the ladyboys, right?

http://x.com/Use_Yandex/status/1897613104193716458

AC of the constantly rolling eyes.

What a hysterical spray you pathetic little man.

No one looks at those ludicrous links you provide.

Incidentally, I suspect you search for the most descriptive of "atrocities" you can find.

AC you are quite sick.

When I mentioned that I witnessed the immediate aftermath when terrorists had thrown hand-grenades into an open air cinema filled with families and children ... (every sense was assaulted).

YOU WANTED A DESCRIPTION!

.

Trump’s world is ugly. It’s cold and brutal. It’s a projection of Trump himself : egoistic, egocentric, narcissistic and megalomaniac. It’s a world of self-interest based on values of wealth, possession, power and social standing.

It lacks humanity.

The vision of Trump’s world takes my mind back to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” (1944).

For those who may not have read the book, here is a brief video with a summary :

http://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=animal+farm+pdf&mid=4BB5500000BBF6B628764BB5500000BBF6B62876&mcid=B83FC7A73A0B44DCA4060A7DA29907C5&FORM=VIRE

Another notable aspect of Trump’s character is the precipitation with which he makes important decisions and the inevitable chaos that ensues. Take, for example, the following sequence of events :

In a matter of days, Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, then made up and invited him to Washington — then chastised him in the Oval Office, then expressed openness to rebuilding ties, then cut off arms and intelligence sharing.

The DOGE saga is another example worth mentioning of what might be branded “regressive progress”, reflecting the regressive nature of Trump’s personality — characterised by a lack of reflection, foresight, planning, and plain common sense.

First, we act. Then we react. Too bad for the collateral damage. Just do it !

But let’s not be too pessimistic (or should I say realistic?). Let’s wait another couple of months to see the result.

.

Hi WhiteMouse,
Well you wanted to get snarky, how'd you expect me to react?
Personally, I think it was.. 'measured'.

"Incidentally, I suspect you search for the most descriptive of 'atrocities you can find."
- No, I don't have to go looking, it comes right into my x.com feed.
I'd get dozens of stories just like it every day, is that my fault?

Israeli tank dragging a dead Palestinian body down the road for fun…
http://x.com/Nadira_ali12/status/1843748701564477853

The Palestinian who was zip tied and run over by an Israeli tank has been identified, his name is Jamal Hamdi Hassan Ashour (62 years old)
http://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1783453247316922697

This is Grisha Rapper and his wife Alona Feldman, who live in Galilee. They killed 11 Palestinian children and cut them with knives in Gaza. “Grisha asked the tank commander to stop for a few seconds so he could put three children under the tank, so he ran over them.
http://x.com/Handsomehamed/status/1849144335146914293

They went searching for their father, only to find his body in pieces after an Israeli tank ran over him. Only his foot remained.
http://x.com/vikingwarior20/status/1807009730864554108

An Israeli tank ran over a civilian car along with its passengers in Salah Eddin street in the middle district of Gaza.
http://x.com/EyeonPalestine/status/1763978925011566961

A tank ran over a Palestinian in the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital.
His legs were already injured as there was some cast left around it.
Only half of his body remains.
The effects of the Israeli tank is visible.
http://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1771208504101028113

Palestinian child Al-Hareth Ahmed Miqdad was still alive when an israeli tank driver ran over him, says @MahaGaza
| I just can’t get passed that
http://x.com/swilkinsonbc/status/1835228833152180435

What you saw as an atrocity, Israelis do for fun.
Not my fault that you have the blinkers on.
- Oh but the Israelis are the 'victims' right?

You'd say I'm anti-semitic, I'd simply argue I'm being 'impartial'.

'YOU WANTED A DESCRIPTION!'
I probably just wanted a better understanding of what happened.
Now there's some 'descriptions' (above) for you right?
- For balance.

"No one looks at those ludicrous links you provide."
- Maybe if they did they'd be more informed?

This is Netanyahus 'Clean Break' policy in action.
It's an 'end justifies the means mentality'
A terrorist mentality.

http://x.com/angeloinchina/status/1898032241714032957
Don't look away. Watch. Don't look away.

This is Syria
This is backed by US
This is backed by Israel
This is backed by Turkey

http://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1897745674906575133
An Israeli-American “comedian” named Yoni Kletzel made jokes about starvation and “dead Palestinian babies.”
He thinks it’s funny, but this is one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard.

When it happens to Israelis it's an atrocity
When it happens to others because of Israelis, it's a joke, or they pretend it never happened.

"Those cities were built prior to 1919 ... built under the czars. Why don't you go to Russia?"

I have been there more times than most here have had borscht soup. Its very true that there are a couple of Russian cities that are the equivalent of most first world cities. For centuries, all the way back to at least Peter the Great, Russian leaders have understood that they didn't need to keep the whole country compliant, only those in the capitals. The rest were too far from the centre to be able to challenge the rulers. That is why, for example, all four revolutions in the 20th century happened solely in the capital(s). Money was/is lavished on the few major cities while the country-side lives in abject poverty.

Income inequality is stark, with a small elite controlling much of the wealth while rural regions languish. Life expectancy, particularly for men, lags behind Western standards at around 68 years, hampered by alcoholism, poor healthcare access, and crumbling infrastructure outside major cities. Corruption permeates governance, with Transparency International ranking Russia 137th out of 180 countries in its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. Political repression, limited press freedom, and reliance on raw material exports rather than diversified industry further echo developing nation struggles.

When visiting Russia, once you are outside the main cities its depressing. Horse-drawn ploughs weren't unusual. My dearest friend had a dacha in the town of Zagorsk (its changed its name several times) and the 100km trip from Moscow was always an eye-opener, the sort of things westerners weren't meant to see. The people in the country-side live lives barely changed from the 19th century. And their lot was golden compared to the lives of people I used to see when travelling to the Caspian Sea for sturgeon fishing.

Russia isa third world country with nukes. And nukes only get you so far.

"The vision of Trump’s world takes my mind back to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” (1944).

For those who may not have read the book..."

Anyone who hasn't read, and more importantly, understood the book and its companion '1984', really doesn't have a claim to understanding the 20th century. But clearly, if Banjo thinks he sees Trump in Napoleon (the pig, not the frog) then he's in the group that didn't understand it.

"Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, then...."

Where Banjo sees chaos, others see a coordinated plan to force the parties to the negotiating table. Zelensky had grown used to the US simply throwing money and supplies at him whenever he whined. Trump has now disabused him of that notion.

Banjo also seems to misunderstand DOGE which may be the process that salvages US democracy. The corruption that already been unearthed and the monetary savings already achieved are astounding. The bureaucratic state, the deep state, operated with impunity and squandered America's wealth. That is now all being opened up for the world and, more importantly, the US taxpayers to see....

Examples:
* Minor but indicative. "The VA cancelled a $56,000 contract to water ~8 plants for 5 years. This is ~$1400/plant/year. The contract has been canceled and DOGE will water the plants free of charge."

* Major. The EPA has found $20 billion given out in the dying days of the Biden kleptocracy for unknown purposes to unknown and sometimes fictitious NGOs, all connected to Democrat operatives.

The US is in debt to the tune of $36 Trillion. We now know why. Trump and DOGE and all Trump's lieutenants are working to reverse that.

Of course those who benefited from the old ways are screaming. And some, for partisan reasons, are sympathetic to wailing.

Other interesting developments.....

"Polish Prime Minister Tusk has announced plans for large-scale military training for all adult men and expanding the army from 200,000 to 500,000 troops amid rising security threats in Europe."

For context that means having a standing army of 500,000 AND a trained reserve of 800,000. I wonder what Poland is trying to defend against?

The Polish government is also considering whether to start the process to get nukes. They are also looking at withdrawing from conventions against cluster bombs and landmines and have proposed increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP... a rapidly growing GDP.

Poland suffered severely at the hands of the Rus Empire in the 20th century (anyone remember the Katyn massacre?). They don't intend to suffer in the 21st century.

_________________________________________________________________

“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!”

Putin responded that he's anxious to have ceasefire talks. Go figure!

Of course, Trump talking tough to Putin will be very confusing to those of a certain leaning.

"This is Syria
This is backed by US"

In fact, this is the new Syrian government seeking revenge against the Alawites community who, through the al-Assad regime, ruled Syria for decades.

Here's more of their tender mercy...
http://tiny.cc/mgjc001

The enmity between the Shai, Sunni and Alawites has been going on since the 7th century, but apparently, according to AC, its al the US's fault... and of course the Joos, who are to blame for everything that is wrong in the middle east.

There's not much AC won't fall for.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

You wrote :

« The corruption that has already been unearthed and the monetary savings already achieved are astounding. Examples:

1. "The VA cancelled a $56,000 contract to water ~8 plants for 5 years. This is ~$1400/plant/year. The contract has been canceled and DOGE will water the plants free of charge."

2. The EPA has found $20 billion given out in the dying days of the Biden kleptocracy for unknown purposes to unknown and sometimes fictitious NGOs, all connected to Democrat operatives. »
.

To the best of my knowledge, mhaze, no evidence of “corruption” has been unearthed so far.

That includes the two cases you mentioned. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing. They are simply government decisions that don’t please some people.

That seems to be the case of the Trump administration, which has the power to cancel them, just as the previous government had the power to authorize them.

.

Hi mhaze
"This is Syria
This is backed by US"

If you had've clicked on the link provided, you'd have seen I was quoting the tweet.

"In fact, this is the new Syrian government seeking revenge against the Alawites community who, through the al-Assad regime, ruled Syria for decades."

I supported Assad. I don't support regime changes or sanctions.
How many times do I have to state my position?

The new Syrian government was the one Israel had been conspiring to put in place via US foreign policy since the war in Iraq you geopolitically illiterate fool.
HTS was receiving training and funding via the West.

Here's another link for you.
http://www.youtube.com/live/MFsFOS5Odno?t=892
Its no wonder I roll my eyes so often.

Ukraine.

I could argue back and forth, but ultimately i told you all years ago, Ukraine would lose this war, and Trump has nothing to negotiate with, Russia has non-negotiable aims and they will achieve them.
It doesn't matter whether you like it or not.

Hungary's Orban was the first EU leader yesterday to state that Russia is winning (even with US support). Without US support they're just delaying the inevitable.

Ukraine Can't Win War Against Russia: Hungary's Orban
http://youtu.be/r8JI-eYQylg
- So Europe is fractured.

Oh and btw there's between 4700 and 6300 Ukrainian forces are surrounded in Kursk: See below:

The Battle For Kursk Oblast Has Entered Its Final Stage
http://youtu.be/186oninW21E?t=70

And, I'm sick of playing silly games.
If my knowledge wasn't adequate already, I might pay the $50 for Scott Horton's book so I can really mop the floor with you.

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine
http://www.amazon.com.au/Provoked-Washington-Started-Catastrophe-Ukraine/dp/1733647376

Europe JUST Sent a Terrifying Warning to the World
http://youtu.be/xgFLZh2DTfQ

10,000 Ukrainian troops at risk of encirclement
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/07/russia-breaks-through-ukrainian-lines-in-kursk/
'Putin’s forces advance on vital supply line after US stops sharing intelligence with Kyiv'

“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield right now..."

This is just the West freaking out that they're losing their only bargaining chip left in Kursk'

Trump's just trying to pull off a 'Minsk / Merkel / Debalsevo'
Good luck with that.

Battle of Debaltseve
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Debaltseve

Come back WhiteMouse
Don't be offended, just know if you jump into the discussion and start throwing shite around, then I'll shite in my hand and throw it at you, then I'll clap in your face with the remnants.

"To the best of my knowledge, mhaze, no evidence of “corruption” has been unearthed so far."

You and I have very different definitions of corruption.

______________________________________________________________________

"If you had've clicked on the link provided, you'd have seen I was quoting the tweet."

I did click it. I did see that you were just regurgitating someone else's rubbish. And it was that which it was addressing. The new Syrian leadership is/was just re-enacting attacks on minorities that have their origins in 7th century barbarism.

"The new Syrian government was the one Israel had been conspiring to put in place via US foreign policy since the war in Iraq you geopolitically illiterate fool."

Yes, I understand that in AC fantasy-land all changes of government are caused by the great Satan. We in the real world have a more nuanced understanding. BTW, HTS, though primarily home-grown and home-funded, counts its major international supporters as Turkey, which for years gave military support to them in Idlib, and Qatar who provided needs bucks. There's no evidence of US direct support and no evidence of any Israeli support, other than the usual X-twitter conspiracy theories which AC, being AC, completely falls for.

"If my knowledge wasn't adequate already, I might pay the $50 for Scott Horton's book so I can really mop the floor with you."

That's pretty funny AC and very indicative of how you operate. You haven't read the book, even got the book, but you're already sure its true - a sort of pre-emptive gullible acceptance.

I well remember when you produced a survey from Ukraine which you crowed you were going to use to wipe the floor with me. After a week of teaching you what the survey really showed you declared you didn't want to talk about it any more.

But you will have memory-holed that.

BTW the Kindle version is only $30.00. You could fall for it at a discounted rate!!.

"Yes, I understand that in AC fantasy-land all changes of government are caused by the great Satan. We in the real world have a more nuanced understanding. BTW, HTS, though primarily home-grown and home-funded, counts its major international supporters as Turkey, which for years gave military support to them in Idlib, and Qatar who provided needs bucks. There's no evidence of US direct support and no evidence of any Israeli support, other than the usual X-twitter conspiracy theories which AC, being AC, completely falls for."

No, you get your info from the likes of Victoria Nuland and paid USAID / NED propaganda.
And I've seen DoD testify in congressional hearings where it was ADMITTED HTS received funding, (Not going digging for the tweet right now - go search x.com for 'US admits funding terrorists') and it's not my fault that you won't read the U.S. own policy papers, (in this case the 'Clean Break' policy paper) or listen to experts like Jeffrey Sachs who has clearly explained the war in Syria was a continuation of US policy in Iraq (War on Terror) which itself is based on Netanyahu's 'Clean Break' policy paper' (as well as the Wolfowitz doctrine), and confirmed by Wesley Clarks '7 wars in 5 years' statement.

Stop acting like an argumentative child and go and look at the documents and datapoints
You throw 'conspiracy theorist' around, but YOU ARE THE ONE with confirmation bias and are too lazy to go look at the things you should be looking at, and DON'T WANT to admit that you've been mislead and sold propaganda, by the likes of neoconservative claptrap media and commentary and the Kagan familys ISW one-sided narratives.

If you want my 'conspiracy theorst' opinion.
I think pro-Israel policy makers plans we're ALWAYS the put an ISIS threat on Israel's border because inevitable future conflict would necessitate Israel claiming it needs to occupy more land for it's defence (which woul be in line with the 'Greater Israel' policy),

Have you heard of the Hegelian dialectic?
'Problem, Reaction, Solution'
- If not, go learn something new.

"I well remember when you produced a survey from Ukraine which you crowed you were going to use to wipe the floor with me. After a week of teaching you what the survey really showed you declared you didn't want to talk about it any more."

- This book at 614 pages is so well-documented (I'm told) that whatever argument you thought you'd won a couple years ago, it will probably have the juice to clarify that argument in my favour, and make you look foolish all over again.

"And I've seen DoD testify in congressional hearings where it was ADMITTED HTS received funding."

Oh fa' God's sake. This is just sad.

USAID gave one Syrian aid group $122 million for assistance to civilians suffering at the tender mercies of the Assad regime (which you, incredibly, say you supported). Of that, $9million was siphoned off by a Syrian man without the knowledge, let alone the agreement, of the US, and was given to HTS. That's it. $9 million. A drop in a very very big bucket which you then turn into a vast conspiracy assertion. Oh and the bloke who stole the money was charged with theft which is where you probably heard AND misunderstood the DoD admitting the funding got to HTS.

But again its another example of that racist attitude you have against non-whites. This thinking that the Syrians are so gullible that they allowed themselves to be conned into supporting a revolution that was really being controlled by the great Satan and the evil Joo. And in your case, gullible is the operative word.

" it will probably have the juice to clarify that argument in my favour, and make you look foolish all over again."

You found a survey that you said was a poll of all Ukrainians which showed that most wanted to be part of Russia. I showed you that the poll was taken among Crimeans ONLY and showed that less than 25% wanted to be part of Russia. I don't care how much juice this book might have, its ain't gunna reverse that kind of stupid.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

To my comment :

«To the best of my knowledge, mhaze, no evidence of "corruption” has been unearthed so far»

You responded :

« You and I have very different definitions of corruption »
.

False accusations of corruption can have severe consequences, mhaze. Courts of law edict evidence-based judgments, placing the burden of proof on the accuser. The principle of “innocent until proven guilty” safeguards against wrongful convictions from baseless claims.

Unsubstantiated claims can result in severe legal consequences for the accuser, mhaze.

Please provide proof of “the corruption that [you claim] has already been unearthed” with details of the source of your information for fact-checking.

.

That's right Banjo. You adopt a legal definition and I adopt a more general definition.

Your view is that if it can't be proven in court, it isn't corruption.

My view is that is that if it doesn't pass the smell test, its corruption. If you pay a bloke $1400 a year to water a plant every week or so, its likely the contract wasn't arrived at at arms length. Its not illegal but it is corrupt.

And new examples of that level of corruption are revealed each day. Musk explained how someone like Soros can set up an NGO for a million or so and then through lobbying get grants in the billions. Not illegal but corrupt.

Or the example from the last few days of Democrat swamp critter Stacey Adams setting up an NGO with $100 in the bank and two months later gets a $2billion grant in the dying days of the Biden kleptocracy without any scrutiny. Not illegal. But corrupt

The conservatives have hardly got their backsides down to warm the government benches in the NT and corruption has started. The NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy has been stood down before being sacked for doing "a job for a mate".

Trumpster, how's your application to join Fat Clive's Trumpets For Patriots Party going? I'm sure you would be the ideal candidate for the next federal election.

Paul always seems to be anxious to put pen to paper whenever one of his supposed political foes errs but beats a hasty exit for the doors when the reverse happens....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-04/nsw-sydney-transport-minister-jo-haylen-resigns/104895424

"Trumpster, how's your application to join Fat Clive's Trumpets For Patriots Party going? "

You tried to make that joke a week or so ago. It fell flat then and its didn't fare any better this time.
I have yet to see their economic policies so I can't say if they're worthy of support. But I did see an advert where they were making the astonishing assertion that there are only two genders. In this day and age, claims like that are liable to see them up before the Censorship Board aka eSafety Commissioner. Still if that happens Palmer can always ask Musk to smack 'em into line like he did over the Lakemba attack.

Christians don't know, and if they did they wouldn't care.
Assad was a dictator, these are his people and as always Israel first.
They'd rather cling to the idea that Armageddon will take place, Jesus will return and they can meet him in their lifetimes.
- Silly ignorant Christians - They probably think it's Gods will.

http://x.com/NationFirstAust/status/1898537752691646659
Christians are being massacred in Syria. Churches burned. Priests executed. Families wiped out. And the West is silent. This is the greatest Christian persecution of our time—and the media won’t tell you. Let’s expose the truth.

Ah looks little Napoleon is trying to build false narratives.

Macron Hits Back at Russian Fury, Says Kremlin Feels Exposed
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-03-06/macron-hits-back-at-russian-fury-says-kremlin-feels-exposed

In a solemn address on Wednesday, Macron warned the French nation Russia was rearming quickly on the back of its invasion of Ukraine and could attack more countries if it was not firmly deterred, including with the French nuclear umbrella.

"I know President Putin well. If he's reacting like that, it's because he knows what I said is true," Macron told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

"He's making a historical error: Napoleon waged conquests. The only imperialistic power I see in Europe right now is Russia," he said, responding to a question posed by a Russian journalist in exile in France.

Macron said he knew Putin could betray his word, because he had done just that when it did not respect the Minsk agreements signed with France, Germany and Ukraine after the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

He also said the reactions in Moscow on Thursday were probably so vociferous because Russia's intentions to continue waging war with Europe eventually, if a rushed peace treaty in Ukraine is signed, had been uncovered.

"He was probably piqued by the fact we're exposing his game," Macron said.

- Minsk agreements only served to buy time to build up Ukrainian military (with the real aim being joining NATO).
http://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1897371952513200247
Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko himself all admitted it.

Minsk deal was used to buy time – Ukraine's Poroshenko
http://www.rt.com/russia/557307-poroshenko-comments-minsk-agreement/

Hi AC,

How's it out your way? The cyclone was a bit hairy, but the wind and rain seemed worse last night than Friday night. Lost power for 18 hours yesterday, back on now.

AC

I looked at the links you provided earlier. I suspect you subscribe to this platform. I hope you don't pay for it.

If you had interrogated the images, you would have seen the problem that negates the message that it is trying to convey ... especially if you had seen military service .... or even played at it as a child.

I suggest when you receive any images at all, you run a check on them:

Google: "How to detect fake images."

"How to verify the authenticity and origin of images online."

"Ways to detect phony pictures."

These sites provide a plethora of programs to use.

However, I doubt if you will do this.

You feed your insane hatred with such images. These are the reason d'etre you get up in the morning. Your pathological hatred has damaged your capacity for rational and logical analysis ... (or perhaps you just want to be noticed).

I will certainly not engage with any of your comments again. It is a complete waste of time

Hi WhiteMouse,
Which images were you referring to?
The 'people getting run over by tanks'?
The majority of things I post come straight into my feed.
Often, there are responses to those posts and I also see those responses but then go back to the first post and continue through my feed.
Sometimes I'll find someone new I haven't followed and I'll look at their posts, probably least of all do I actually go looking for things.
In the case of the tanks, I did search for posts with those keywords.

I get access to a huge amount of content, it's hard to bookmark every significant post I find and rename it to something I can re-find later.
But I see a lot of stuff.

It's not just the individual posts themselves I'm interested in any more than trying to see the bigger picture in all of it.

"You feed your insane hatred with such images."
- I prefer not to look at the really gory senseless stuff but sometimes it comes straight into my feed.
Right now, I could probably find dozens of videos seeing hundreds of Syrians being captured, tortured and executed.
- I've seen a few images briefly, I don't doubt the videos are real.
Should I look properly?
Rather not right now.

Just type in 'Syria Massacre' and it won't take more than 2 minutes to find mass slaughter, and kids and elderly being tortured and executed.

As for the 'tanks running over people purportedly from Israel'
I don't think these videos are fake, maybe some are.
- The actions fit the mindset I've seen from the Israelis posting their own videos themselves.

It's a screwed up world.
It takes special kind of person to invest a billion dollars into Rhinemental and other EU military contractors in Feb 2022 and get over a 10X return in 3 years lobbying to keep the war going the entire time, getting rich at the expense of others lives.
- Pennies on the dollar, conflict = profit.
(Search 'Ukraine graves'?)

http://www.google.com/search?q=rhinemetal+chart

The new German Chancellor formerly worked for Blackrock.

Hi Paul,
"How's it out your way? The cyclone was a bit hairy, but the wind and rain seemed worse last night than Friday night. Lost power for 18 hours yesterday, back on now."

Yes it was a decent gale here Fri night.
I thought it was going to get really bad in the early hours, so set my alarm for 3 am, but when I got up it was a calmer than when I went to bed a few hours earlier. We lost power Saturday morning but I still had mobile service with internet. Today the power came back on early this morning, but for some reason I lost the mobile service entirely - emergency calls only, but that was back up by about 6 or 7 this evening.

We have a lot of flooding and road closures.
The new upgraded section of road between Vicky Pt. High School and Redland Bay was flooded and closed, everyone was going around the back way past my place, but this afternoon all traffic stopped and my road was closed and thought I may have been flooded in on both ends of the road I live on because of the continuing rain, but a housemate ventured out and told me he was able to go around a road closure sign and also the upgraded section to Vicky Pt is back open.

Lots of people still have no power around the local suburbs I think.
I looked on the outages map yesterday and there were dozens of blackouts all over the place

.

Dear mhaze,

.

You wrote :

« My view is that is that if it doesn't pass the smell test, its corruption. »
.

That’s fine with me, mhaze. I have no problem with that. You and I and everybody else are all free to think, smell, feel, etc. whatever we like about events. And those of us who have the privilege of living in the free world, are free to express the opinions and judgements we make about them.

You have every right to express your opinions, especially here on this OLO Forum.

What bothers me is that you express your opinions as though they were facts. You make no distinction between fact and opinion. You wrote, for example :

« The corruption that [has] already been unearthed and the monetary savings already achieved are astounding. »

Money savings were a fact. Corruption was not an established fact (until proven otherwise). It was your opinion.

On the basis of the explanation you now indicate, it would have been more correct to have written :

« The monetary savings already achieved are astounding. My view is that if it doesn't pass the smell test, its corruption. »

I would appreciate it if you would kindly avoid presenting your opinions as facts - at least in your future exchanges with me !

Also, need I add that your sense of smell does not qualify as proof of the validity of your assertions ?

.

Hi Again AC,

I think we dodged a bullet to some extent with Cyclone Alfred. The sting seemed to be in the tail with the tropical low that developed after, higher velocity winds and lots more rain. The normal roads were flooded, Wynnum Rd always floods, some egg was up to his car doors, hazarded lights flashing in deep flood water, some people just can't learn. What brought the cyclone our way was the abnormally high sea temperatures this far south 26.5C off the islands, deep water, and 27C in Moreton Bay shallow water, normally this time of the year water temps are cooler down here 24-25C and cyclones heading south will veer east out into the Pacific, not Alfie!

Hi Paul,
Yes its all a bit annoying, and I don't mean the cyclone.
The aftermath of it seems worse than the cyclone itself.
When the cyclone hit first thing next morning (Sat) my power was off, no internet at home but my mobile was fine, no problems.
Sunday comes, power back on, but road is flooded cant go anywhere now no mobile reception.
Today flood recedes so I go to woolies, no food everything gone.
Still no mobile reception.

Had a bloke coming over to do a caravan roadworthy on the old Jayco, he did it I think, but he couldn't call and I didn't know he was out there, he thought I wasn't home, but the caravan is undercover in a large shed of a separate house. Couldn't call him, sent txt but had to duck up to Cleveland, message goes through he says hes on his way, but I didn't get back in time, and now still cant contact him.
He's only around the corner, but I'm sure I'll get back in contact soon enough.
I suppose others have it way worse so I shouldn't complain and everything will be back to normal in a day or so.

Hi AC,

A couple of named and shamed on social media, a servo who was selling a 24 slab of small bottled water for $59, and an egg fruit shop, who upped his eggs to $14 doz, were $8 the day before. Both Woolies and Coles fridges and freezers all off, neither had F&V at all. Coles shelves were about 50% stocked, Woolies almost empty.

Some things are just crazy right.
$59 for a 24 pack of water...
Streuth, supply and demand at it's best.
Get a $1.50 bucket from Bunnings and you could've gotten all the water you needed.
I'm sure I heard stories about people there fighting over the last generator.
Single mums calling up on the local radio saying they were at their wits end - can't get any nappies and such.
Why not just let the little tiddlywinks run around bare bum for a bit.
As nature intended, if they're old enough that is.

Had a water leak, I've got the heater going in there now to try and dry the whole room out before everything goes mouldy.

My 200m long driveways been trenched out pretty badly from the heavy flow of water, might have to get onto the trailer and shovel tomorrow.
I'm glad the property owner offered me another 3 months before tear down, I'm thinking about putting the smaller house (where the caravan is) up on booking.com for $200 night.
- I think I'll probably get it after a little tidy up.

.

Trump’s Brave New World

.

Trump’s carrot and stick tactics for arriving at a peaceful settlement of the Russian Ukrainian war consists in lavishing on Putin loads of nice, fresh, juicy carrots while flogging Zelensky publicly with a hardwood baton.

Not surprisingly, Putin can’t get enough of the nice, fresh, juicy carrots and constantly insists on more, whereas Zelensky, his victim, has no choice but to respond favourably to his ill treatment and accept an immediate ceasefire.

In Trump’s conception, the “triad” (from the Chinese term San He Hui, the union of heaven, earth, and humanity) consisting of himself, Putin, and Xi Jinping, should be hailed as the world's greatest leaders, each within his geopolitical sphere.

That includes neighbouring countries :

• from Panama to Greenland for Trump,

• the ex-Soviet Union countries (including Ukraine) for Putin,

• Taiwan and whatever other neighbouring countries he decides to control for Xi Jinping

That clearly appears to be Trump's Brave New World.

The elephant is in the china shop, reaching for the stars !

.

"In Trump’s conception, the “triad” (from the Chinese term San He Hui, the union of heaven, earth, and humanity) consisting of himself, Putin, and Xi Jinping, should be hailed as the world's greatest leaders"

Is that an opinion or a fact?

Trumpster,

Dangerous Doctor Donald does view himself as a great leader, something akin to a modern day Julius Cesar. YOU, as an Un-Australian sycophantic Trump supporter would agree, I'm sure.

Will you be a candidate at the Federal Election for Fat Clive's "Trumpet Of Patriots" Party? YOU have all the credentials needed.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

You ask :

« Is that an opinion or a fact? »
.

Good question, mhaze.

As I indicated :

« That clearly appears to be Trump's Brave New World. »

It may or may not be. That is how it appears to me.

It is my interpretation of Trump's modus operandi to date.

.

"Trump’s carrot and stick tactics for arriving at a peaceful settlement of the Russian Ukrainian war consists in lavishing on Putin loads of nice, fresh, juicy carrots while flogging Zelensky publicly with a hardwood baton."

Whilst this may be true, Trump himself has little to no leverage.
All he can really do is force Ukraine to he negotiating table by wiih-holding weapons and intelligence, i.e. satellite targeting info.

Whilst Russia is optimistic, they won' be taken in by the Wests lies false promises and they hold all the cards on the battlefield.

At the same time, the Russia / China alliance is a problem to the US, and they wish to try to pull Russia away.
The EU may have frozen 300 billion of Russia's assets, but Western companies have already lost 360 billion also Trump and US companies would like to go back to doing business with Russia

What's Behind Trump's Interest In Russian Oil, Nuclear Fuel And Fertilsers?
http://youtu.be/Wla_JHTOB00

This one's for mhaze and his 'meat wave' attacks.
It should be a lesson on how bs becomes established fact.

The Daily Mail’s Video on Bakhmut is Worse Than you Think
http://youtu.be/DX0iU2wf2vE

I don't know the name of the host of the Daily Mails video.
I've seen him before here and there though, these people are paid bs'ers
- Paid to influence.

"something akin to a modern day Julius Cesar."

Well actually Caesar was quite the warmonger, spending almost all his adult life fighting wars he either instigated or nudged along an dyig while he was preparing to start another war of conquest.

Trump OTOH, as we all know, is a peacemaker being one of the few presidents in history to have never got the US into a war and indeed getting them out of a few. And again on the brink of ending two others.

So if you want to compare him to a Roman perhaps Cincinnatus or Fabius would be more appropriate although, as I've explained in earlier threads, probably Tiberius Gracchus would be the most appropriate.

I'd explain all this to you but I suspect your grasp of Roman history is worse than your grasp of 20th century history...and that's saying something.

Trumpster,

Don't worry about history, you can Google with the best of em'. Now of greater concern is the way in which Crazy Donald is pushing all of us into a world recession. You don't have to be a pompous ahole to be a Trumpster, but it sure helps.

You haven't said if you are going to run on the Fat Clive ticket at the federal election. Don't be coy, the suspense is killing us, I'm sure your personal charisma will get you, at least your vote.

Sudzha Collapses
http://youtu.be/PCv10vhmLX8

Trumster,

"Trump OTOH, as we all know, is a peacemaker", so you say. If agreeing with the Zionist Nazi's to starve thousands of innocent men, women and children to death in Gaza, by denying them the basics of life, food and water, is the work of a "peacemaker" then so be it.

Why are the Zionists now trying to renege on the peace deal they signed with the Palestinians just a few weeks ago, don't seem koshered to me.

"to starve thousands of innocent men, women and children to death in Gaza"

Paul is so very concerned about all the starving people of Gaza. Its not that he's just using their claimed suffering to pummel those evil Joos... nosiree. Its genuine concern.

So of course Paul will be totally on-board with the idea of Hamas releasing all the remaining hostages (dead or alive) and laying down their arms. You know, for the good of the "innocent men, women and children". Isn't that right, Paul?

____________________________________________________________

Of course, we've been hearing about the starving "innocent men, women and children" in Gaza from the day after they murdered and kidnapped Joos by the hundreds. They're always about to starve but never quite get there. But it'd be cynical to think their claimed lack of food was just a ploy to rope in the anxiously gullible to attack the evil Joo.

____________________________________________________________

"renege on the peace deal they signed with the Palestinians "

There was no peace deal. There was a ceasefire which has now expired. Please try to keep up

"Paul is so very concerned about all the starving people of Gaza. Its not that he's just using their claimed suffering to pummel those evil Joos... nosiree. Its genuine concern."

I don't like it either in fact staving people just because they can is vile.
And attempting to play down our genuine concern and instead turn it around on us and say 'The only reason you pretend to care is because you're anti-Semitic' is even disgusting.

You may not care about those innocent peoples lives.
But they are people nonetheless, some of us understand this, you don't.

It's not our fault they're 'less than rats' to you and you can't comprehend our concern...
All you care about is the Joos continuing their oppression and genocide without criticism anyway, that's what you care about.

Israel never planned to keep to the deal.
What they were actually doing was giving their overwhelmed ground forces a bit of rest and recovery.

Now Russia.
The Ukrainians are being chased out of Kursk, those who aren't surrendering.

It's old news now but I'll share it anyway

The Tale Of How 800 Spartans Entered The Fortress Through The Trojan Pipe Military Summary 10.03.2025
http://youtu.be/XZDiie43OH4

'Putin's Men Crawl 15 Kms In Gas Pipeline': Dramatic Footage Of Russia's SHOCKING Kursk Ambush
http://youtu.be/fNi58q3HCAQ

Regarding peace negotiations, it's said Ukraine has agreed to recognise the annexed regions, but disagrees regarding the territory west of the Dnieper - i.e Kherson City and Zaporizhia City.

I think Putin may end up wanting everything east of the Dnieper and even Odessa as well, he'd be making serious concessions to give up Odessa, which may result in another war down the road, and further long term trouble in Transnistra.

Netanyahu will probably resume the war and take more of Syria.

The women of Gaza have an average of 4 children. Women who are starved or malnourished cannot ovulate.

There are some 9 universities and institutes of higher learning in Gaza.

"And attempting to play down our genuine concern "

If you had genuine concern you'd support the idea of Hamas releasing all hostages (living and dead) and laying down their arms in order to stop the suffering that you have "genuine concerns" about. But you don't support that idea showing that your "genuine concern" is with the survival of Hamas not the survival of the allegedly starving Gazans.

"If you had genuine concern you'd support the idea of Hamas releasing all hostages (living and dead) and laying down their arms in order to stop the suffering that you have "genuine concerns" about. But you don't support that idea showing that your "genuine concern" is with the survival of Hamas not the survival of the allegedly starving Gazans."

Don't tell me how to frame my own concern.
If you want to play that game I'd argue you should also support the Israeli's to pack their bags knock down their illegal settlements state their borders, release all the Palestinians held without charge in torture facilities and to feck off.

Wonder what game Trumps playing at.
Look like he's now taken full ownership of the war.
- And of course he knows Russia will not accept any ceasefire.
Putin would've made that clear during their phone call.

So it looks like Trumps gonna continue the war, but blame Russia for failed negotiations which were a non-starter.

Trump the warmonger.

WhiteMouse, no need to be a Zionists Nazi apologist. "There are some 9 universities and institutes of higher learning in Gaza." Next you'll be telling us the Israelis are just installing flow through ventilation in all the buildings. The graphic images coming out of Gaza tell the real story, they are there for all to see, they don't lie.

"Researches say Palestinians in Gaza have lost an average of 18kg due to extreme hunger caused by Israel’s war." The Zionists are using starvation of innocent people as a weapon of war, they are war criminals who should be put on trial, along with the Hamas war criminals at the same time.

P/s Was Auschwitz some kind of holiday camp for Jews, well, the Nazi's said it was, but the images told a different story.

mhaze and Banjo should both be pleased.
Trumps just continuing the same agenda as all of them did before him
- Even Trump himself.

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Dear Armchair Critic,

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You wrote :

« Trumps just continuing the same agenda as all of them did before him - Even Trump himself. »
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I’m not sure what you are alluding to there, Armchair Critic.

Trump announced on 12 February that he planned to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia sometime “in the near future” to negotiate a settlement of the war in Ukraine.

He warned he would impose tariffs and additional sanctions on Russia if Putin did not end the war.

In the meantime, Zelensky has agreed to the US plan of a 30-day truce in hostilities, and Trump’s special envoy, his real-estate agent friend, Steve Witkoff, has just arrived in Moscow today for preliminary discussions with Putin.

On the battleground, Russia has thrown all its military weight into the recuperation of Russian territory in the Kursk region, occupied by the Ukraine military forces, in a desperate effort to reinforce its position in the future peace negotiations.

Most observers seem to think it is unlikely that Trump will accept the American peace plan in its present form and will seek to gain time with long and drawn-out discussions.

If that is the case, it will be interesting to see if Trump and his sidekick, Vance, will submit Putin to “the question” as they did Zelensky in the Whitehouse, under the spotlights of world television.

I suspect, however, that that is a special treatment reserved exclusively for the weak and defenceless.

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