War in Ukraine

I'm a Trump supporter and believe he will win. But I don't think Trump is going to let this war continue very long at all. What that means in terms of settlement, who knows exactly, but it's very difficult for me seeing a scenario whereby Russia returns the currently occupied territory to Ukraine, for a number of reasons:

1. Russia knows if that was a non-starter settlement-wise, NATO would have intervened directly by now. Allowing the war to be fought by proxy for going on 3 years is a sign that if Ukraine loses that territory forever, it's not the end of the world.

2. Most of these areas are ethnic Russian dominated as it is and have Russian citizenship. How do you force those people to repatriate and pledge their loyalty to a central government in Kyiv? It's unrealistic.

3. There have been times in history when conquest (as you call it) occurred and we not only survived it, but flourished in other areas that more than make up for the small loss. Vietnam is the obvious example. Communism expanded.. in fact it expanded into Eastern Europe as well. But communism failed in the end and the loss of South Vietnam hasn't led to anything other than saving more American lives by not being over there fighting the Communists anymore.

4. If you feel the message has to be sent to deter further excursions by the Russians, I think that's been accomplished by now.

There is no point in widening this war effort. We gain nothing by it. We can lose the battle, but win the war, as it relates to containing conquest and upholding national sovereignty. Hey, while we're at it, perhaps we can defend our own border instead of worrying about Ukraine's.

 

Putin using N. Korean troops.

Zelensky wants partners to fulfill support rolls to give front more support. Britain ready to put troops in Ukraine for training,

Zelenskyy reacts to Russia's plans to engage DPRK troops in war against Ukraine (msn.com)

“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea. It is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupier's military forces. Obviously, in such circumstances, our relations with our partners need to be developed. The front needs more support,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
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Moreover, according to the Washington Post, several thousand soldiers from North Korea are currently undergoing training in Russia. And by the end of the year, they may be deployed to the front in Ukraine.

 

that blood feud heating up and the natives are fighting back

Russia on verge of anarchy as gunmen target Vladimir Putin's officials and kill three (msn.com)

Three Russian counterterrorism officers were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in Magas, the capital city of the Republic of Ingushetia in Russia's North Caucasus. The attack occurred on Friday and is believed to be part of a growing feud declared by Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov against politicians from Dagestan and Ingushetia, sparking fears of escalating instability and violence.

The intended target of the attack was reportedly Adam Khamkhoyev, the deputy head of Putin's Centre 'E' counterterrorism task force in Ingushetia.
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This marks the fifth attempt on Khamkhoyev's life, according to the Baza Telegram channel. While Khamkhoyev survived the attack, his three colleagues were not as fortunate.

The Centre for Combating Extremism, a Russian authority, is actively involved in identifying and detaining individuals deemed as extremists. In the northern Caucasus, their scope of work extends to monitoring radical Muslim movements

 

If Russia implodes, let's hope it doesn't take the rest of the world with it.

 

more blood feud...large gas center in chechen capital blown up

Huge Fireball Explosion Rips Through Center of Russian City (msn.com)

An explosion has torn through a gas facility in the Russian city of Grozny, capital of the semi-autonomous Chechen Republic, according to independent Russian news outlet Astra.

Footage posted on social media shows the gas station being engulfed by a huge explosion creating a large fireball and launching debris into surrounding areas. Newsweek has not independently verified the authenticity of this footage.

Chechnya is largely ruled by Ramzan Kadyrov, a pro-Russian strongman installed by the Kremlin after two devastating wars involving Chechen separatists and Islamic fundamentalists in the 1990s and 2000s. In recent months, Russian infrastructure and military facilities have been hit repeatedly by Ukrainian drones, though the cause of Saturday's explosion is unclear.

Ukrainian media outlet RBC-Ukraine said the gas station that exploded was situated near a college. Citing pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, it said at least four people were injured, including a mother and child who were hit by debris from the explosion. No official casualty figures have been released and it's unclear what caused the explosion.

 

No European country (or the U.S.) wants to get their own military and latest weapons involved in a war with a nuclear power like Russia unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Especially if there is any chance that a proxy war can get the job done. Afghanistan showed us that Russia can be defeated by a local military with material assistance from the West.

Eastern Ukraine has been dominated by ethnic Russians BECAUSE Putin sent a large number of them in with weapons as terrorists to try to overthrow Ukraine in 2014. Surprisingly, Ukraine did not approve of this.

Vietnam has nothing in common with Ukraine besides the word "communism". Vietnam had very limited natural resources (other than rice farming) and was no threat to the U.S. Ho Chi Minh was actually a big fan of the United States before we started fighting them, and probably could have been convinced to convert the country to democracy when he was too old to govern. The government we were supporting was highly corrupt and homicidal, persecuting peaceful Buddhists by killing them. Basically, we were propping up a "Little Hitler" to stop the word "communism" from spreading through the rice paddies. What a colossal waste. Also, the Vietnam War did not hand over Vietnam to a large communist country like China.

Ukraine, OTOH, does have valuable natural resources, including trillions of dollars worth of minerals, and some of the world's most productive farmland. It also borders on NATO countries. Russia has been a marauding, barbaric nation for over a century now, viewing the rest of the world through the lens of who can be conquered and when. From 1917 to 2024, there were only a few years in which Russia voluntarily gave up imperial conquest as a national goal (the Gorbachev years). Before Hitler invaded Russia, he had made a deal with Stalin to split Poland between them. Any peace that Trump secures between Ukraine and Russia will be a temporary one. Russia will use the time to re-arm, try to get the West to start buying Russian oil and gas again, etc.

Don't be absurd. The peace will last only as long as western vigilance does. It would only be a matter of time before Europe decides to make nice with the tyrant and start buying his oil and gas while funding the next invasion of Ukraine. If we negotiated eastern Ukraine away to Russia, then Russia's invasion would be legitimized and pave the way for the next invasion. In the meantime, the U.S. would be spending HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to develop and stockpile new weapons, most of which would be obsolete before they would be needed (like the 9700 Abrams tanks in warehouses).

Totally wrong, once again. There is a tremendous amount to gain by helping Ukraine win this war:

1) Discouraging China from invading Taiwan.

2) Future savings on U.S. national defense spending. We saved $2.5 trillion the last time Russia collapsed. You and the republican braintrust are quick to try to save a few billion here and there on defending Ukraine, yet you are perfectly willing to increase defense spending by a few trillion dollars. Penny wise and pound foolish, as they say. We would not have "won the war" if Putin keeps eastern Ukraine. They would have trillions of dollars worth of new natural resources to exploit and rebuild their armies with.

3) Controlling Russian expansionism into other areas. Russia has already claimed almost all of the oil under the Arctic Sea as their own property. If they get Ukraine, they may well start harassing Poland and other countries the same way they did Ukraine.



Basically, you are no different than the millions of isolationists in the U.S. in 1939 that were in denial that the U.S. would ever need to get involved in a war in Europe or Asia. Unfortunately, their ignorant denial made the war, when we entered it, that much more difficult to win, and it cost us hundreds of thousands of lives more than it needed to. If you ignore colonial imperialism, it only becomes harder to get rid of it once you do decide that it is necessary, because you are fighting the country as well as its newly stolen resources.

 

As long as Moscow is not threatened or attacked, I don't believe that Russia will start a nuclear war.

 

Great stuff from Vance if that’s an authentic quote.

 

By "stuff" do you mean "idiocy"?

 

I'm glad you agree with what he said about Ukraine.

 

Shocking, how obvious the Russia stooges know they can be.

Orbán threatens to mess with Ukraine aid to help Trump – POLITICO

 

Paradox: people who clamor for a continuation of weapons and aid to Ukraine are endorsing a prolongation of Ukraine’s agony.

 

Who were fighting for …

 

On a message board full of delusional takes, this is the craziest.

Trump works for Putin and most of his staff will be Putin friendly at worst if he wins. He will hand over Ukraine and any other NATO country Putin wants.

 

Never doubt America's capacity for endless war

 

America is not at war with anyone at present.

Arming Ukraine to cripple Russia is one of our greatest investments in foreign policy ever.

 

Arming your proxies in perpetuity to further your own foreign policy is the same difference. If its such a great investment, why do you doubt the people saying Trump can be talked out of discontinuing arms sales? The guy has literally been talked out of every position he's ever taken at some point lol. In essence you are basically saying Trump is the peace candidate!