chimera wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2025 at 5:04pm:


The trouble is you weren't joking...oh dear...

greggerypeccary wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2025 at 3:30pm:


Trump COULD stop the war now - and could have stopped it the day he was elected - by simply ceasing all US military support for Ukraine.

Most analysts agree the EU can't take on Russia without US backing (in a case where a war escalates to a nuclear conflict).

I'm wondering why Trump hasn't stopped all US support for Ukraine yet; is it the allure of possible control of all those gleaming rare earths ....? 

TASS - the Russian news service.

https://tass.com/politics/1948601


MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/.

Any deployment of peacekeepers to historical Russian lands would risk a third world war,
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu warned in an interview with TASS.

Jovial Monk wrote on Apr 27^th, 2025 at 10:29pm:


Well - I agree with Trump and Putin on Crimea and majority-speaking Russian provinces in Ukraine which are a hangover from the days when Ukraine was a satellite of the USSR.

But what else does Putin want, why won't he end the war now?

We will soon find out.

Jovial Monk wrote on Apr 29^th, 2025 at 12:29pm:


What you call "violent conquest" elicits  "violent resistance"; in the absence of a rules based order the CAUSE of the violence is in the eye of the beholder. 

So to be clear, I want an international rules based order which out-laws war.

But failing that, I want the world's most powerful man - Trump - to end this Ukraine war now, on the  basis of majority Russian-speaking provinces going to Russia (for historical reasons I outlined) . 

If Putin refuses those generous terms, then it's back to "violent conquest/violent resistance" by the disputants. 

Lets see what Trumpy does, in the event of Putin's choice to keep fighting. 

And let's see what Zelensky does - backed by war-mongering fools like Merz who is urging Zelensky to keep fighting (since life is worthless, you see) - if Putin DOES accept Trump's offer. 

Jovial Monk wrote on Apr 29^th, 2025 at 1:39pm:


There are regions across the southern United States with Spanish-speaking populations just as high, if not higher, than the proportion of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. And, of course, those parts of the US were, quite literally, once part of Mexico.

No objections to Mexico invading and taking them back?

I bet they'd love to have Austin contributing to their economy and not the US.

Or do you need to further refine your justification for Russia starting the war with Ukraine, invading them and seizing their land, again, so it doesn't apply to the US and Mexico?

I'll wait...

ProudKangaroo wrote on Apr 29^th, 2025 at 4:24pm:



Thanks for pointing out Monk's errors.

Quote:



Russia invaded Ukraine because (in Putin's eyes) Zelensky is part of a "nazi" plot to join NATO.

Trump apparently has some sympathy for Putin's view, since Russia is the most powerful nuclear state after the US, and conflict is...er... risky...

Plus Trump is sick of the US paying for Zelensky's war (..I don't believe Trump is concerned about "beautiful" Russian or Ukrainian lives).

Meanwhile Lavrov stated yesterday Russia wants Ukraine to be disarmed, and Zelensky removed from office.

A step too far for Trump, no doubt, so all Trump can do is withdraw and let Europe defend Ukraine against Russia...the Europeans - who stopped spending on defence after the end of the Cold War, are horrified by that prospect. 

I've been assuming Putin isn't insane enough to take on the US, which is why I thought Putin would be interested in a compromise with Trump, ie majority Russian speaking provinces, with peace guaranteed by the US.

(Again,  the rightful role of the UNSC, but the US will have to do, given the dysfunctional state of the UNSC).