quote:

He goes to all these high-end functions wearing a freaking sweatshirt while everyone else is dressed up.

His equivalent of the Chairman Mao suit. (At least that was a suit.) Kind of a trademark.



LMAO.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Things are looking bleak for Ukraine. This is from the Kyiv Independent a pro Ukrainian newspaper.


Ukraine ends year battered, with Russian troops pushing north, east, and south

https://kyivindependent.com/uk...orth-east-and-south/

This whole charade/dog and pony show has gone on for a few reasons. One being to allow the American government to bilk its citizens for billions. Two, to enrich the MIC. Three, to let the chinese and russians see what the Americans and nato countires would use against them in terms of weapon systems. The ukrainies were never going to prevail against the russians, never. It was over before it ever started. Everything that happened in between then and now is part of the plan.
I hope Trump tells nato they are on the hook to rebuild whatever the modified version of ukraine is, if there is one.

Time for willingness to think outside the box.

It is good PR.

He is wearing his "uniform" to remind the world he is at war.

They should pony up or they will be next.

egregore nailed it with the Mao jacket.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

He goes to all these high-end functions wearing a freaking sweatshirt while everyone else is dressed up.

His equivalent of the Chairman Mao suit. (At least that was a suit.) Kind of a trademark.

LMAO.

Tucker Carlson refers to Zelensky's costume (uniform?) as a 'Track Suit'

Remember how Fidel Castro was never seen in public out of a battle dress uniform? Another example.

I try to keep up on some things, I just don't know where the billions are coming from, is it paid back from our tax dollars? why spend so much there unless there is a return on investment somewhere. The article is sorta long but it mentions all the money sent there.

US disburses $3.4 billion in budget aid for Ukraine, Yellen says
Summary
US budget aid to Ukraine totals over $30 billion since 2022
Biden administration rushes aid before Trump takes office
Yellen emphasizes aid conditioned on reforms and anti-corruption efforts
WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The United States has sent $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to Ukraine, giving the war-torn country critical resources amid intensifying Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday.
Yellen said in a statement the direct budget assistance, provided in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, marked the final disbursement under the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.

https://www.reuters.com/world/...len-says-2024-12-30/

quote:

Originally posted by rizzle:
I try to keep up on some things, I just don't know where the billions are coming from, is it paid back from our tax dollars? why spend so much money there unless there is a return on investment somewhere.

Uhhh, the Treasury is just printing that money! It's coming from and/or will be paid for by our children's children!

Why spend so much money there? To feed a completely corrupt system, a.k.a. 'the establishment', of course! The somewhere/destination of the 'return on investment' is in the pockets of the corrupt politicians, the Military Industrial Complex, and connected elites!

It would be nice to spend that kinda money here in the States instead, or just print the money, pay down the debt. Less chance of the US dollar losing value if spent overseas? I dunno, but it would be nice for me spend less on State and Fed taxes, especially if they are not invested here, I really don't want to pay for other countries, I'm surprised anyone would.

Russia has lost over 38,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says

https://kyivindependent.com/ru...oblast-syrskyi-says/

The Russian army has lost over 38,000 troops and more than 1,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 1.

Syrskyi's statement comes after his visit to Russia's Kursk Oblast to reward the Ukrainian military serving in the area.


Ukraine’s Newest Leopard 2 Brigade Began Disintegrating Before It Reached The Front Line

https://www.forbes.com/sites/d...ched-the-front-line/

A pair of Russian field armies, together overseeing 70,000 troops in dozens of regiments and brigades, is bearing down on Pokrovsk, a fortress city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

Bracing for the coming assault, the culmination of a Russian offensive that began more than a year ago, the Ukrainians are reinforcing Pokrovsk. But one of the reinforcing units, the newly formed 155th Mechanized Brigade—one of the few Ukrainian brigades with German-made Leopard 2 tanks and French-made Caesar howitzers—began disintegrating before it even arrived in the besieged city last week.

The brigade was supposed to have more than 5,800 troops, making it much larger than most of the Ukrainian ground forces’ roughly 100 other combat brigades. But around 1,700 of those 5,800 troops went absent without leave from the brigade at some point during its nine-month work-up in western Ukraine, Poland and France. As recently as November, nearly 500 soldiers were reportedly still AWOL.

“The issue is in organizational and leadership failure,” according to Tatarigami, the founder of the Frontelligence Insight analysis group in Ukraine. Under Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky, military leaders including commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi have prioritized forming new novice brigades—at least 14 of them—over replenishing existing veteran brigades that, after 34 months of hard fighting, might be down to half or less of their original strength.

But the new brigades are dysfunctional—with uneven leadership, missing equipment and entire battalions of undertrained, ambivalently led new recruits who have a bad habit of abandoning their brigade at the first opportunity. Rolling into battle outside Pokrovsk in recent days, the 155th Mechanized Brigade suffered heavy casualties, reportedly even losing some of its tanks and other armored vehicles.

Those troops and tanks would have stood a better chance fighting under experienced brigades, according to Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Ukrainian National Guard’s Azov Brigade. “Can it be idiocy to create new brigades and equip them with such equipment, having incomplete existing ones?” Krotevych asked.

It’s not necessarily idiocy—it’s politics. Under pressure to demonstrate to Ukraine’s ficklest allies that Ukraine still has reserves of strength and the capacity to keep fighting, Zelensky and his top generals have done the showy thing: formed new brigades. They’ve done it even though it might make more military sense to replenish older brigades with fresh troops and equipment.

“The country's top political and military leadership actually played with the 155th [Mechanized] Brigade, without even trying to systematically prepare and train the brigade, and without giving the brigade commanders time to create a combat-ready team themselves,” Ukrainian war correspondent Yuriy Butusov wrote.

Ironically, the 155th Mechanized Brigade’s disastrous first days in combat compelled Ukrainian leaders to do with the brigade’s surviving troops and equipment what Tatarigami and Krotevych insisted they should have done from the outset: assign these forces to well-established brigades in the Pokrovsk area.

But that won’t bring back the people and tanks the 155th Mechanized Brigade lost last week.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...zed_Brigade_(Ukraine)

On 8 May 2024 the existence of the 155th Infantry Brigade was officially acknowledged, marking it as the first of the newly announced brigades to take shape.[7] Rivne City Council supported the brigade by donating equipment to meet the soldiers' needs during its early stages of formation.[7] By September 2024, the first wave of 2,000 soldiers had undergone training in eastern France, with plans for the brigade to eventually grow to a strength of 4,500 troops.[1]

The training and equipping of the brigade were carried out under a European Union-funded program that had already trained 60,000 Ukrainian troops.[3] France played a pivotal role, providing extensive training, equipment, and weaponry.[3] This included 18 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, 18 AMX-10RC armored fighting vehicles, and 128 VAB armored personnel carriers.[8] On 27 June, the brigade made its first public appearance on social media, unveiling its insignia the following day.[citation needed] In October, the brigade was visited and inspected by French President Emmanuel Macron.[9] The brigade returned to Ukraine in November, along with its integral Leopard 2A4-based tank battalion trained in Poland.[10]

In December 2024, the brigade was reportedly deployed south of Pokrovsk.[5] Reportedly, the brigade suffered heavy losses during its first few days of combat and its surviving men and equipment have been transferred to other units.[11]

Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov [uk] said on his YouTube channel that over a thousand servicemen of the brigade went AWOL after being forcibly mobilized off the streets. According to him, this led to the replacement of the brigade commander, Colonel Dmytro Ryumshin, with Colonel Taras Maksymov, which happened on 12 December.[12][13][14]

In an article published on 31 December, Butusov said that the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation had opened a criminal investigation regarding the brigade. 1,700 soldiers of the brigade reportedly had deserted before the unit entered combat.[5]

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
It is good PR.

He is wearing his "uniform" to remind the world he is at war.

They should pony up or they will be next.

Sarcasm, right?

Western Troops in Ukraine to ‘Force Russia Into Peace’, Says Zelensky at Ramstein Summit

https://www.breitbart.com/euro...peace-says-zelensky/

Donald Trump can’t see the “bigger picture” on Ukraine and Europe could step up to take over funding the fight against Europe, a top Eurocrat says, as Zelensky calls for Western troops to “force Russia into peace”.

Ukraine’s Western backers are meeting in Germany at the major U.S.-NATO Ramstein airbase on Thursday through the Ukraine Defence Contract Group, President Volodymyr Zelensky having arrived at the base this morning. Per Ukrainian state media, he is due to have group meetings through the forum as well as individual talks with other leaders during the summit.

Meetings had barely begun, however, when President Zelensky launched immediately into turning up the heat, telling partners now is the time to start making deploying Western forces to Ukraine a possibility. He told the Ramstein meeting, AFP states that Ukraine’s goal is to “find as many instruments as possible to force Russia into peace” and that “deployment of partners’ contingents is one of the best instruments… Let’s be more practical in making it possible”.



While some European leaders believe — and even fear — the beginning of the second Trump White House later this month will herald the beginning of the end for the Ukraine war, Zelensky made his pitch for receiving even more American assistance. He said: “It’s clear that a new chapter starts for Europe and the entire world –- just 11 days from now, a time when we have to cooperate even more, rely on one another even more, and achieve even greater results together… I see this as a time of opportunities.”

Whether these remarks are a reflection of reality as perceived by Zelensky or an expression of optimistic hope — which has been marked as a Ukrainian negotiating tactic several times in the past — is unclear. The AFP news agency also notes it was not made explicit if Zelensky’s call for Western boots on the ground was meant to be interpreted as combat troops to fight Russia, or peacekeepers as has been previously discussed.

Europe’s chief diplomat, the former Estonian Prime Minister and now top European Commissioner Kaja Kallas also struck a hopeful note in her remarks at the meeting, but said ultimately the European Union would step in if the United States decided it has already invested enough money in Kyiv. She said: I’m really sure that all the other members, and hopefully also the United States, are ready to continue with the support to Ukraine… the European Union is also ready to take over this leadership if the United States is not willing to do so”.

Yet the diplomat was less diplomatic in comments directed at once and future President Trump, when she tacitly implied simple ignorance was the major factor behind him wanting to get the Ukraine war concluded. She said: “[it] is not in the interest of America that Russia will be the strongest force in the world… So I’m sure that [when] the leadership takes office, they can also see the bigger picture”.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was on a roadmap for capability building for Ukraine through to 2027, and that the United States was announcing a further $500 million in support for Ukraine. This package would help fund Ukraine’s most urgent needs, they said, which were cited as including “missiles for air defense; air-to-ground munitions; and equipment to support Ukraine’s use of F-16s”.

quote:

Western Troops in Ukraine to ‘Force Russia Into Peace’, Says Zelensky at Ramstein Summit

[SNIP]

...it was not made explicit if Zelensky’s call for Western boots on the ground was meant to be interpreted as combat troops to fight Russia, or peacekeepers as has been previously discussed.

Uhhh, peacekeeping troops don't force anyone to do anything! Peacekeepers do just that, they 'keep peace', they do NOT impose it! The really shouldn't be any question as to what 'Track Suit' Vlad was calling for with that statement!

quote:

Western Troops in Ukraine to ‘Force Russia Into Peace’, Says Zelensky at Ramstein Summit

Donald Trump can’t see the “bigger picture” on Ukraine and Europe could step up to take over funding the fight against Europe, a top Eurocrat says, as Zelensky calls for Western troops to “force Russia into peace”.

Uh, no!
First of all, the only way you can ‘ Force Russia (or anyone) Into Peace’ is to defeat them, and make them submit. That's not going to happen.
Second, the US is nearly done with Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy, the answer is no!

Link: https://www.dailyfetched.com/a...million-for-ukraine/


As California literally burns to the ground, it seems Joe Biden’s priorities are elsewhere after he announced an additional $500 million in military assistance for Ukraine.


Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the funding, adding that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasizes the “importance” of continued support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Austin said:

“If autocrats conclude that democracies will lose their nerve, surrender their interests, and forget their principles, we will only see more land grabs.”

“If tyrants learn that aggression pays, we will only invite even more aggression, chaos, and war.”

The coalition has collectively committed an estimated $122 billion in military support for Ukraine.

The new security package includes:

Military hardware and equipment such as missiles

Support equipment for F-16 fighter jets

Armored bridging systems

Small arms

Communication gear.

The package is Biden’s 74th equipment distribution to Ukraine since August 2021.

Aside from attempting to bankrupt America with foreign spending, Biden has also been doing damage at home.

Last week, Biden announced an executive order to block offshore oil and gas drilling in key U.S. coastal waters, a major obstacle to President-elect Donald Trump‘s energy agenda.

The decree draws its authority from the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which grants broad powers to protect marine areas from oil and gas leasing.

“18 days before it’s obviously repealed?” one X user quipped following the news.

“What a small and petty man.”


The remaining days of Biden’s presidency should be stark reminder to where his real priorities are, and its not with the American people.

The so-called “smooth transition” of power is almost like watching a child loosing a game of marbles and throwing a tantrum by throwing them in the air.

The count down to Trump’s inauguration appears to becoming more intense by the day.

New sanctions on Russian oil that will hurt American consumers going into effect, now that the Trump administration is coming into office.


Sullivan: We Couldn’t Sanction Russia’s Oil 18 Months Ago, It Would Hurt Consumers

https://www.breitbart.com/clip...ould-hurt-consumers/

During an interview with “PBS NewsHour” aired on Friday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan defended waiting to impose the large sanctions on Russia’s energy the Biden administration imposed on Friday by stating that “If we had sanctioned Russia’s oil 18 months ago, at a time when oil prices were high, gas prices were high, it would have meant a spike at the pump in a way that would have put pain on working people in the United States.”

“NewsHour” Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent Nick Schifrin asked, “Today, you’re imposing the largest sanctions yet on Russia’s energy sector, including two of Russia’s largest oil producers and ships that constitute Russia’s shadow fleet that senior officials say will cost Russia billions of dollars per month. Why are you taking this step now? And why didn’t you take it sooner?”

Sullivan answered, “If we had sanctioned Russia’s oil 18 months ago, at a time when oil prices were high, gas prices were high, it would have meant a spike at the pump in a way that would have put pain on working people in the United States. Today, oil prices are much lower. The oil market globally is very well supplied. And so, we have an opportunity to hit Putin in his pocketbook without hitting the American people in theirs. What we’re giving the incoming team, the incoming administration, is real leverage in a negotiation as they set up for diplomacy.”

UK's Starmer signs '100-year' accord with Ukraine as Russian drones target Kyiv

https://www.france24.com/en/li...-ink-100-year-accord

Britain and Ukraine's leaders on Thursday signed a "landmark" 100-year agreement that pledges strengthening defence ties between the two countries during a visit to Kyiv by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Loud blasts and air raid sirens rang out over Kyiv just hours after Starmer's arrival as air defence systems repelled a Russian drone attack, officials reported.

"Together we signed a landmark agreement, the very first of its kind, a new partnership between the UK and Ukraine that reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations," Starmer told reporters in Kyiv.

The deal commits the two sides to cooperate on defence and battlefield technology, such as drones, while implementing a system to help locate grain exported by Russia from occupied parts of Ukraine.

"This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century," added Starmer.

He was also expected to announce an extra £40 million to aid Ukraine's post-war economic recovery.

Whirlwind diplomatic programme

Zelensky earlier said that he and Starmer would discuss the possibility of having Western troops stationed in Ukraine to oversee any ceasefire agreement, a divisive proposal initially put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron.

More at link

quote:

UK's Starmer signs '100-year' accord with Ukraine as Russian drones target Kyiv

Britain needs this deal like a swimmer needs an anchor.

Some guy named George had some thoughts about this kind of deal... https://constitutioncenter.org...arewell-address-1796

President Washington was correct then, and he's still correct now. Both the Brits and we should listen to him.