Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[oldtimer]

https://www.barrons.com/news/trump-says-will-absolutely-consider-leaving-nato-if-us-not-treated-fairly-9d3163cf

"Trump Says Will 'Absolutely' Consider Leaving NATO If US Not Treated 'Fairly'"

Sounds like a roadmap to a possible USA-Russia deal.  Ukraine joins NATO as the USA pulls out of NATO.

Russian fantasies.

Even if (big IF) America left NATO, almost every other NATO member would still beg to be a military ally of America, so NATO would just be reformed under a new name like NAFTA did.

There's reasonable doubts that Russia really understands how the US government ticks. This would just be another manifestation of that.

I think that Russia still holds an old view of Monarch to Monarch diplomacy, western reality is very different.

A very simple way to view to western system:

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

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Most things now in large Western countries are run by ideological departments, tempered by the occasional election, a product of Big Government.

You can reason with individuals who temporary hold power, but not a large "blob" that is designed not to change (see Starmer complaining now).

Now a lot of smaller western countries are run more or less like a mafia, so you can bribe them, but Russia can't compete with the EU budget.

And those small countries feel the need for a mafia boss to protect them from rival gangs.

So they go to America for protection and the EU for money.

So while Russia makes temporary deals with whoever western leader might be in charge, the actual war in a way never ends without their respective "blobs" also saying ok.

But that requires lobbying the "blobs" too, not only the politicians.

[UWS]

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/43896

[jaichind]

Russians eat up another slice of Kurakhove

https://twitter.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/1868554366527172763

[UWS]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-will-provide-242-mln-strengthen-ukrainian-navy-2024-12-16/

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-will-provide-242-mln-strengthen-ukrainian-navy-2024-12-16/

Good move from Norway.

[jaichind]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-16/trump-says-zelenskiy-should-prepare-to-make-deal-to-end-war

"Trump Says Zelenskiy Should Prepare to Make Deal to End War"

Trump said several times Monday that he believes Russian leader Valdimir Putin wouldn’t have invaded if he were still in office and criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for a decision to allow Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, to strike back deeper into Russian territory. The missiles have a range of about 300 kilometers, or 190 miles.

“I don’t think they should have allowed missiles to be shot 200 miles into Russia,” he said.

A good first step would be for Zelensky to change Ukraine law to allow for direct talks with Russia while Putin is still Prez.  

[Meclazine for Israel]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-17/russian-lieutenant-general-igor-kirillov-killed-explosion/104737160

Russian General Exploded in Moscow.

Something has gone wery vong.


Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops. (Supplied: Russian Ministry of Defence)

[jaichind]

Russian gains in the Kursk salient

https://twitter.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/1868919425027719249

[jaichind]

https://www.politico.eu/article/notorious-russian-general-chemical-weapons-chief-killed-moscow-blast-assassination/

"Ukraine assassinates Russian chemical weapons chief in Moscow bombing"

[Lief 🗽]

Good for Ukraine. Every Russian officer deserves the same fate.

[Lykaon]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-17/russian-lieutenant-general-igor-kirillov-killed-explosion/104737160

Russian General Exploded in Moscow.

Something has gone wery vong.


Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops. (Supplied: Russian Ministry of Defence)

Love to see it! Russian swine aren’t safe anywhere. Not even down the street from the Kremlin

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-17/russian-lieutenant-general-igor-kirillov-killed-explosion/104737160

Russian General Exploded in Moscow.

Something has gone wery vong.


Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops. (Supplied: Russian Ministry of Defence)

Love to see it! Russian swine aren’t safe anywhere. Not even down the street from the Kremlin

Ukraine has a good intelligence apparatus. Comes to show this is the descendant of the Ukrainian SSR we are talking about here...

[CumbrianLefty]

A reminder that Russia was meant to reverse its Kursk losses in full before *last month* was over. As it is, Ukraine is still likely to be squatting on their territory come 2025.

[Doomer]

Sad day for Republicans. They lost one of their generals.

This also makes it less likely the war ends anytime soon.

[jaichind]

More Russian advances toward Pokrovsk

https://twitter.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/1869330552534585520

 

[jaichind]

https://www.newsweek.com/map-ukraine-russiadonetsk-advances-2001390

Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messenger app: "Battles are extremely tough. The Russian occupiers are throwing forward all available resources, trying to break through,"

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

https://www.newsweek.com/map-ukraine-russiadonetsk-advances-2001390

Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messenger app: "Battles are extremely tough. The Russian occupiers are throwing forward all available resources, trying to break through,"

I'd be surprised if the Russians weren't using all available resources trying to break through.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Puty Putes Not Happy

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDwtVYXBrC3/

It's a tough one. I wouldn't mess with him too much, but Ukraine need to fire back.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

Any thoughts on how Mr. Trump will end this war in one day?

[jaichind]

https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-oreshnik-ready-duel-against-us-made-defenses-missile-ukraine-2024-12

"Putin taunted the West with a proposed missile 'duel of the 21st century' between the Oreshnik and US-made defenses"

Putin proposes a tournament duel between colletive West anti air defense versus the Oreshnik  hypersonic missile.

"If the experts in the West think so, well, let them come up with a proposal to us, and to the US. They can suggest a kind of technological experiment, a kind of high-tech fighting duel of the 21st century," Putin said, per a translation of the conference.

Putin said both parties could agree upon a target in Kyiv, where Ukraine could "concentrate all of their air defense and anti-missile defense."

[lfromnj]

https://www.ft.com/content/35f490c5-3abb-4ac9-8fa3-65e804dd158f
Ft reports Trump might keep aid contingent on the EU increasing their military spending ?

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

https://www.ft.com/content/35f490c5-3abb-4ac9-8fa3-65e804dd158f
Ft reports Trump might keep aid contingent on the EU increasing their military spending ?

This would be very Trumpian of a thing for him to propose.

[GoTfan]

https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-oreshnik-ready-duel-against-us-made-defenses-missile-ukraine-2024-12

"Putin taunted the West with a proposed missile 'duel of the 21st century' between the Oreshnik and US-made defenses"

Putin proposes a tournament duel between colletive West anti air defense versus the Oreshnik  hypersonic missile.

"If the experts in the West think so, well, let them come up with a proposal to us, and to the US. They can suggest a kind of technological experiment, a kind of high-tech fighting duel of the 21st century," Putin said, per a translation of the conference.

Putin said both parties could agree upon a target in Kyiv, where Ukraine could "concentrate all of their air defense and anti-missile defense."

Because this is naturally something that a fully-grown adult would do.

Fighting is still taking place on Russian soil and you've been trying to convince us for months Ukraine is just one day away from collapsing entirely.

[jaichind]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-20/russia-ukraine-us-allies-say-biden-strategy-was-too-little-too-late-for-ukraine?embedded-checkout=true

"Too Little Too Late: US Allies Say Biden Strategy Cost Ukraine Chance of Victory"

Regardless of what Biden does in his final weeks, they said, Ukraine is heading toward a bitter settlement in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy may have to leave swathes of territory in limbo in exchange for security guarantees that fall short of the NATO membership he’s pleaded for. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that outcome will largely be a consequence of decisions that Biden took, or failed to take, over the past two years.

Now they are going to try to blame Biden

[jaichind]

https://www.ft.com/content/35f490c5-3abb-4ac9-8fa3-65e804dd158f
Ft reports Trump might keep aid contingent on the EU increasing their military spending ?

Clearly, that is what he will be up to.   Trump's position would be: Any deal will produce no win for Russia with net benefits going to the USA with the EU paying for it.