quote:

Originally posted by Fed161:
The leaders of the UK, Italy, France and Germany will be speaking with Trump before his call with Putin. This is an effort to make sure everyone is on the same page. Put another way, they will attempt to stiffen Trump's spine before his call with Putin.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news...-call-as-ukraine-hit

That's laughable...Nobody needs to 'stiffen' Trump's spine, that's for certain! I expect that Trump's position will be 'my way or the highway', and rightfully so. As far as the UK, France & Germany are concerned, they can either get on board the Peace Train (a.k.a. the Trump Train), or get out of the way! I'm pretty sure Italy's Meloni is already on board.

quote:

The leaders of the UK, Italy, France and Germany will be speaking with Trump before his call with Putin. This is an effort to make sure everyone is on the same page. Put another way, they will attempt to stiffen Trump's spine before his call with Putin.

Those feckless losers (except maybe Italy) are going to stiffen his spine? Don't make me laugh.

Yes, yes, we get it. Orange man bad, and the governments should always be trusted.

You believe in swamp creatures, and the brave employees of the federal government. And they can do no wrong, especially the SSA administration. Despite the fact that most I’ve encountered at the SSA are lazy and are there to serve themselves and not the people. I’m sure that is also Trumps fault despite it goes back 20 years, long before Trump came on the scene. Just lazy.

What a joke.

quote:

Originally posted by Fed161:
The leaders of the UK, Italy, France and Germany will be speaking with Trump before his call with Putin. This is an effort to make sure everyone is on the same page. Put another way, they will attempt to stiffen Trump's spine before his call with Putin.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news...-call-as-ukraine-hit

Al Jazeera? Riiiiight...

Europe's plan for dealing with Putin and Russia is to attempt to influence Trump? That's middle school politics at best.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Yes, yes, we get it. Orange man bad, and the government should always be trusted.

You believe in swamp creatures, and the brave employees of the federal government. And they can do no wrong, especially the SSA administration. Despite the fact that most I’ve encountered are lazy and are there to serve themselves and not the people. I’m sure that is also Trumps fault despite it goes back 20 years, long before Trump came on the scene. Just lazy.

Well, actually no. The only disagreement I have with Trump is Ukraine. I am completely supportive of him in all other areas. And my disagreement with him on Ukraine is actually more with degree, rather than general policy. Trump was the first to supply Ukraine with lethal aid, specifically anti tank weapons in his first term.

I admire your talent as a mind reader, as you seem to know what I think about a whole host of issues. So Let me speak for myself if that's OK. The people who work for the Federal Government are like any other group of people. Some good. Some bad. Most average. I'm not going to try to read your mind, so I won't say that you have contempt for employees of the Federal Government. Perhaps you do. I don't know. But no I don't have contempt for Federal Employees. Lots of them are veterans. Some of the finest people I know are federal employees. I am going to close with a link that I hope you will agree with. If I thought the "Orange man" was bad, I wouldn't post it. I think the article describes one of his most important accomplishments. As an aside I have never referred to President Trump as the Orange Man. He has always been President Trump to me. With respect, I wish you nothing but good things.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...313788d0c133ef&ei=11

Yeah that’s it. I’m a mind reader.

Or, could it be I read your comments in this thread, your worship of federal employees as “good hard working guys” in other threads, and took you at your words.

Any adult with a functioning brain and any amount of love for this country should have contempt. It’s our money being wasted on what you describe as “average” at best.

fed161 your links to sources leave a lot to be desired. Just say'in.

My opinion of the UK's, France's and Germany's governments:



Spineless chickens, not even a rooster to be found.

Italy's is better, but who knows what government they'll have next month.

I had planned on moving on from this. However I have to say that the only thing I worship is God, not federal employees or anyone else. I think using the word "worship" was a bit much, which is why I had to jump in one more time. Also I have never and would never refer to him as the "orange man."

I think that President Trump has a spine of steel. After two assassination attempts and all of the legal assaults he has endured, I don't see how anyone could draw any other conclusion. I have the utmost admiration and respect for him. When I used the phrase "stiffen his spine" I was reporting on the commentary I heard about the call President Trump will be having with the other leaders. It is not my own view at all. It would have been better if I had left that sentence out to avoid confusion about my own views. In fact, it no doubt would have been better if I had said nothing at all. But I will say in my own defense that my views on Ukraine are no different than countless other Republicans and Conservatives that are with Trump 95% of the time like myself.

Ukraine launches probe into French-trained brigade hit by scandal

https://www.france24.com/en/eu...igade-hit-by-scandal

The scandal-plagued “Anne of Kyiv” brigade of the Ukrainian army that was trained in France is under further investigation after a Ukrainian media report alleged that its commander had been involved in “fictitious combat payments and extortion”. The unit has seen over 1,200 cases of soldiers going AWOL – absent without leave.

Ukraine’s military told AFP on Tuesday it had launched another investigation into the scandal-hit “Anne of Kyiv” brigade, trained in France, after a media report alleged financial misconduct among some commanders.

The unit—officially Ukraine’s 155th Mechanised Brigade—was supposed to be a flagship fighting force for Ukraine’s army, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron as a symbol of tight cooperation between Kyiv and Paris.

But it has been plagued by scandals, including reports of equipment shortages, low morale and soldiers abandoning the unit en masse while undergoing training in France.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s land forces confirmed on Tuesday that a fresh investigation had been launched into the unit but declined to elaborate further.

The Ukrainska Pravda media outlet recently alleged that brigade commander Colonel Taras Maksimov had been possibly involved “in fictitious combat payments and extortion”.

It also said the brigade had seen over 1,200 cases of soldiers going AWOL— absent without leave.

“After the publication of the article in Ukrainska Pravda, I ordered an additional official inspection of the facts revealed by journalists,” land forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty was cited as saying by the publication.

A spokesperson for the unit confirmed to AFP that an “inspection had been ordered”.

Macron announced the creation of the Anne of Kyiv brigade—named after a Medieval Kyiv princess who married into the French royal family—during last year’s commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Paris hailed it as a “unique” initiative and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to form a dozen other NATO-trained and equipped units.

Ukraine’s military has been beset with corruption scandals — ranging from weapons procurement to the falsification of draft exemption certificates — since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Europeans want to escalate while President Trump tries to bring both sides to the table.


Germany's Merz says Western allies no longer impose range limits on Ukrainian weapons

The German chancellor said on Monday that the lifting of these restrictions will allow Ukraine to strike military positions in Russia and added that his government would strategically no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/germ...ons_6741699_146.html

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday, May 26, that Germany, along with Ukraine's other key Western backers, had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia. Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that "we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily," in close coordination with other supporters.

"There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans," he said. "This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia... With very few exceptions, it didn't do that until recently. It can now do that."

The previous German government of center-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with Russia, a nuclear power. Merz has in the past said he favors delivery of Taurus, which could strike targets deep inside Russia. His government has since stressed it would no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity. Speaking in a lengthy interview with public broadcaster WDR, Merz did not say whether Germany would now send Taurus missiles to Kyiv.

The recently appointed chancellor took the opportunity to slam Russian President Vladimir Putin's reluctance to engage in talks to end the fighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief has responded to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to a close by prosecuting the war "harder than before," Merz told WDR. "Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness," Merz said.

'Dangerous'

The Kremlin said after Merz's comments that any Western decision to lift range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine would be "dangerous." "If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement (...) These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev.

Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, he has sought to push the two sides in the conflict toward direct talks at the highest level. Trump last week suggested the Vatican as a possible host for a meeting, with the Italian government saying the leader of the Catholic Church was ready to organize talks.

But Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would be "inelegant" for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries.

Merz said that Ukraine's Western backers had sought to use all the diplomatic options available to them to initiate talks. "After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means," Merz said. Short of "raising the white flag," Ukraine's supporters had "done everything" they could.

Trump should make it very clear to the Euro NATO weenies that if due to their actions in escalating the Ukie-Russkie conflict, Russia does something directed against them, then they are on their own, Article 5 of the NATO treaty notwithstanding.

We’ve protected Europe from itself for 80 years, it’s time they took care of their own problems, as we’ve got enough of our own.

Ukraine and NATO pulled off a successful operation, hitting Russian airfields thousands of miles from the border. Russia will no doubt launch massive retaliatory strikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLGdUyGGpJI

It's past time for the United States to step away from this stupid war. Neither side is serious about negotiating a peace. We should get out of negotiations, cease aid and sales completely, and let Europe handle its own problems.

Our efforts are better applied elsewhere.

quote:

Ukraine and NATO pulled off a successful operation, hitting Russian airfields thousands of miles from the border. Russia will no doubt launch massive retaliatory strikes.

Huh, I wonder who made that decision?

With Putin amassing at least 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region of Ukraine and preparing to invade and escalate closer to Kiev ...

Zelensky Calls Meetings With Putin 'Meaningless' And Asks For More Military Aid

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, likely in response to Russia's accelerated gains on the eastern front as well as the mass missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. "If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format," Zelensky stated after admitting that the Kremlin had amassed at least 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region of Ukraine.

The Kremlin responded with suspicion to the idea, noting that Zelensky was looking for 'clout' and a 'legitimacy boost' by inserting himself at the table between Russia and the US in the initial talks. And, to be fair, the real diplomatic discussion is between Russia and the US, not Russia and Ukraine.

The conflagration in Ukraine is a clear proxy war with NATO officials managing the details of the conflict behind the scenes. Ukraine's entire intel apparatus is reliant on NATO reconnaissance technology and their long range missile and drone strikes require NATO personnel and satellites to aim and guide the weapons. The Ukraine war is between Russia and NATO; Ukraine and Zelensky are incidental.

Zelensky appears to have taken offense to Russia's claim that he is chasing clout in a recent statement in which he asserted that meetings with Russia were "meaningless" without more pressure from the US and Europe. He also begged for even more money and weapons to be sent to Ukraine from western partners while suggesting that long range attacks were the best way to bring the war to the Russians and convince them to accept a ceasefire agreement.

In other words, it appears that Zelensky was indeed interested in diplomatic negotiations until it became clear that he would not be at the center of them.

Over the course of the past few months the establishment media and European officials have hinted that the war in Ukraine is not going well. The realities of attrition warfare are taking hold and eventually Ukraine and NATO will have to admit that they are losing. It's a reality many analysts have been trying to warn about for at least the past year, but anyone listening to the propaganda from the western media would assume that Ukraine is on the verge of sweeping the Russian out of the country.

This is simply not the case. Russian forces are breaking through on multiple fronts and they seem to be massing for a large scale offensive in the north. Ukraine's military is on it's last legs, which is the only reason why Zelensky has deigned to entertain the idea of peace talks at all. He is also realizing that it is highly unlikely that the US will ever intervene with boots on the ground - The fundamental strategy of Kyiv and NATO officials was to lure the US and European public to support troop deployments and direct war with Russia.

European politicians are keen on the idea of sending in troops, but without US involvement they will not be able to effectively fight Russian forces in a brand of warfare far different from the typical maneuver warfare they are used to.

Donald Trump has sought to balance his peace negotiations with carrot and stick incentives for both sides of the conflict, but it may be too late for a deal as neither government is anxious for a realistic agreement. Zelensky is forever demanding greater intervention by NATO countries and wants all territory taken by the Russians to be returned. This isn't going to happen.

Vladimir Putin, perhaps rightfully, is concerned about negotiating a ceasefire only to have progressives take power again in the US and upend any deal that is struck. The motivation for Russia to press for a total victory and the removal of the government in Kyiv is high.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geop...ks-more-military-aid

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I put my faith in President Trump. Anyone here who doesn't take a wait-and-see approach, and who behaves as if they know better than this man who is supposed to be in prison right now but instead is once again the most powerful man in the world, that's your problem alone.

Yes, I'm certain that you and some web article writer knows how to get things done so much more efficiently than Donald Trump.

For ten years, people have been saying the man is wrong. What a proud moment it must be for you to join that club.

It is possible that PDJT is actually human and that he might not turn absolutely everything he touches to gold, but I am not so stupid as to think I could do better. Heck, I am not even stupid enough to think that I know how any of the many “very interesting” situations going on these days are going to work out. I’ll wait patiently with my faith in President Trump, knowing that while there may be one or several shit shows coming down the pike I can’t begin to imagine anyone better to deal with them. All will be revealed in time.

As this goes on, I become more and more surprised that someone, whether Russian or Ukrainian, doesn’t take little Z out.