Trump’s pressure on Ukraine is failing to alter Ukr defense. Ru oil refineries continue burning. Pressure on Europe to pivot to appeasement will also fail. Bridge Colby telling Europeans to tone down their rhetoric while Ru bombs train stations and city centres in Ukr only further discredits the US.
In yesterday’s deserved euphoria over Vucic’s defeat and Lula’s knife-edge re-election, no one noticed that Bulgaria held presidential elections. The pro-Russian incumbent underperformed and the pro-EU challenger beat the polls but turnout was a paltry 20%. Impossible to guess how the runoff will go
Repeat after me: Russia has no legitimate security concerns; only its neighbours do. Russia has been the only one invading others.
First Orban and now Vucic conceded electoral defeat, de facto turning out to be more committed to democracy than Trump and lots of his followers.
Trump has applied all the sticks to Ukraine and has given all the carrots to Russia and he still hasn't settled anything. Worst negotiator ever.
An absurd proposal to give russia a chunk of Ukraine, pretend that the war didn't happen, and return to the structural conditions that made it happen in the first place-- economic interdependence w imperialist russia and no security guarantees for its neighbours.
Anyone saying "Ukraine has lost the war" is a Russian stooge who is wishcasting and gaslighting. The manipulation aims to justify why Trump and Russia are jointly pressuring Ukraine to capitulate even though the frontline situation doesn't call for it. Russia is NOT advancing!
Don’t fall for this and don’t call them peace talks. Russia wants capitulation talks. Resharing a piece I wrote last year which remains analytically applicable today www.policymagazine.ca/whatever-you...
The Russians spell it out over and over again that they seek Ukrainian capitulation and stupid Westerners still screech about why Ukraine can’t agree to give up a bit of territory to supposedly end the war.
Trump hates Ukraine so much he’s robbing allies and hurting the American bottom line to help Russia kill more Ukrainians!
First, any country that doesnt want its fate decided by others needs to oppose this imperialist travesty. Second, say they meet and decide XYZ, how are they going to make it happen? Russia’s army isnt advancing; are China and the US going to send troops too?. Puh-lease.
Agree w Tom. I’ll stress it’s utterly pathetic of Trump to think of Russia as a peer when it is vastly inferior. What’s worse is that this overestimation is music to Putin’s ears, prevents him from recognizing that russia has lost in Ukraine, and inspires him to dream about even bigger conquests.
Europe needs to consider a No Fly Zone over Ukraine this winter. The chances of russia accepting it and focusing on the frontline are higher than the danger of it picking a fight w NATO. Not doing it out of fear means Ru sabotage and strikes on Europe will keep escalating because russia smells fear.
Trump/Musk each deny they ordered Starshield throttled over Ukr. Trump used Graham law to lift rather than impose extra sanctions on Ru. Zelensky said Starshield is still throttled and (ruefully?sarcastically?) thanked Linsey Graham for everything. Ukraine continues to resist ever expanding evil!
I have no doubt that a bunch of Zelensky's epic responses are going into the history books and this one might make the cut. Still, I wish Western journalists didn’t use him as a foil to express their criticism of Trump. Speak bravely to Trump, ask HIM this same question.
I hope nobody is fooled by the Trump admin’s claim that its goal is to reduce the price of diesel. Surely, 3 days worth of diesel aren’t worth violating US laws and further alienating America’s allies. The goal is to protect russia’s infrastructure and hamper Ukraine’s defence.
If reports of an end to intelligence sharing and Starlink access limits are confirmed, then the Trump admin has started helping Russia’s war effort. This a more harmful act against Ukraine than all the silly Witkoff/Kushner plans/trips put together. The US is trying to force Ukraine to surrender.
“Zelensky is overplaying his hand” a White House official reportedly told The Atlantic. Imo, Trump will find out soon that it is he who overplayed his hand. He's trying to help Putin, pressure Ukraine, and boost his midterm results, but he's likely to fail at all three…
Everybody needs to be crystal clear that “the deal” in Trump’s mind is Ukrainian surrender. Of course, Putin wants it. But neither Putin nor Trump can compel it or wishcast it.
Trump’s strategy continues to be— all the carrots for Moscow, all the sticks for Kyiv. This isn’t diplomacy, this is aiding and abetting Russia’s attempted conquest.
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