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https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1898028774622449905
Let me get this straight. Trump unequivocably cuts off help to Ukraine, promises Russia it won’t do anything to help Ukraine and Trump is raging and surprised that Russia are using this to continue bombing of Ukraine and not seeking peace? He is an utter moron. Of course Russia were going to use this to push for more missile attacks and drone strikes. They don’t want peace, no matter what the useful idiots claim about how it’s all Ukraine’s fault. Now we have USA’s allies no longer trusting the USA and all for nothing. The art of the deal!
The good news is that the territorial gains of Russia over the last month have eroded with some of what has been taken in recent months gone in a week, as Ukraine advances. The unstoppable Russian army is a husk of its self with donkey carriers for supplies, Ladas and disabled veterans being forced to the front line.
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I see Putin is rejecting Trump’s advances. After he was being so nice and promised it would bring peace as well.
https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/1897683123451621662
Putin says he won’t stop until Ukraine is all Russia’s and the ‘terrorists’ are defeated. Turns out yelling at the invaded nation and not caring about the aggressor does isn’t a sure fire way for peace after all. Bet this doesn’t change Trump from continuing to harm Ukraine for ‘peace’ though.
Putin is sleeping happy knowing this has caused a huge rift between USA and its allies. This was his goal, not to be USA’s new bud and bringing about peace. It has been for some time and Trump’s been played or doesn’t care.
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Oh, and that’s before we get to the on again off again tariffs causing stock market plummets and rambling about Canada being the 51st state*. No amount of look over there will make that more palatable. Obama weakened the US’s image with a poor Iranian deal, Biden was old and slow, was too old to be president (as is Trump) and made a huge error to push forward with the Afghanistan withdrawal. However, he didn’t torch alliances and disregard them for his own ego or dim witted thoughts about peace. At least Biden didn’t ramble like some half-cooked mad man. This is far more detrimental to the USA and it’s hard to see many recover trust in them.
*I know of many Canadians. They have no desire to be part of the USA, they are not Americans in denial. It’s like saying Walloon Belgians are actually French or Flemish people are actually Dutch. Even among conservative Canadians who might be otherwise more sympathetic to some of Trump’s ideas. The feeling there is one of anger and dislike. A recent poll has positive feeling towards USA at around 24%, compared to 76% negative there.
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He’s trying to end the war in Ukraine by causing capitulation and with no concessions, only encouraging further invasion later down the line, when the same pillocks will lambast the invaded country instead of the aggressor for daring not to submit. As if that is the real problem, not the aggressor wanting to rebuild its old empire. And, of course using means like Vogue to build awareness is the real problem, not the aggressor for invading. As a leader drumming up international support, such means are a thing to get the message out.
The funny thing is that all signs show that the last week has seen an increase in popularity of Zelensky within Ukraine because the Ukrainians know what’s up and what faces them if the ignorant armchair dwellers pontificating for them (yes, I know I am one too, but I don’t go around wanging on about what Ukrainians want without looking at public mood). The second most popular candidate is Zaluzhny, who sees Zelensky as not being strong enough on Russia and third placed Poroshenko is again anti-Russia and was seen as the more anti-Russian candidate at the last election. All 3 are supporting Zelensky, overall, in the war.
As for blowing to bits on the battlefield, far more Russians have died (900,000 by many incoming estimates), yet all the ‘pacifists’ don’t bother screaming about that. It’s only Ukraine who is derided for not giving in because only the evil west should have to make anything for peace, even when wronged. All it makes me think is that the people saying this would gladly see the UK abandon territory and give up in face of invasion. Either that or fighting for sovereignty is fine for me, but not for thee.
Putin has said it to others, more than once, that he sees Ukraine, and others, as his right, that they should be part of his domain because they were when Russia/Soviet Union was a Moscow controlled empire. They made no moves against Finland when they joined NATO, despite the apparent provocation of it; in fact they moved troops away afterwards. There is no question as to why many countries, like Estonia or Latvia, joined NATO in the recent decades. It’s because ofm past Russian wars of aggression and rhetoric. Yet NATO have not once invaded Russia, while Russia have continued to attack others and launch chemical weapons attacks in the UK. Their excuses about NATO are propaganda aimed at fooling others. All to make them turn a blind eye to their aggression. It was funny watching Tucker Carlson practically begging Putin to say the war was because of NATO, only for him to reject it and ramble on about Russia being the only legitimate successor to the kingdom of Rus from the Dark Ages. It’s a war of imperialism, regardless of what the self-flagellaters say about western provocation.
Trump’s wonderful peace plan seemingly involves giving Russia what they want and that’s before any true negotiation. There’s no leverage left because they have said and done stuff already that helps them. Anyone who thinks this is a way to peace is a fool, frankly.
As for NATO, I don’t think any European nation is under any illusion that USA is utterly unreliable now, and that is the fault of Trump and the USA. USAID had a lot of soft power behind it, that’s gone. The cooperation and soft power is going, no-one will be so willing to work with them any more and they can’t moan about it. China is investing in such soft power and are gaining more and more influence. They will quite likely eclipse the USA now, despite Trump’s promise to make America great again. He isn’t the sole cause, but he is dealing the killer blow with some style.
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Anyway, the outcome of all this is that the USA has torched any reputation of it as being a reputable ally. They’re done. In time they will wake up to the fact that all cooperation and soft power is gone. I have been following the opinions of people across the political spectrum in Europe and a common theme is that we can’t trust the USA anymore. Including among Americanophiles, not just the usual ‘anti-imperialists’ who have seen the USA as the great Satan of unabashed capitalism and world interference. Myself included. The one thing Trump had right is that Europe have been too reliant on the USA for security, but there are ways to do it and this isn’t it. It goes beyond withdrawing support for Europe, but into outright building ties with hostile powers with anti-democratic values. Vance’s lectures are hollow and pathetic when they want to buddy up to the nation of window falling dissidents. Now we have Vance insulting the UK’s army. He didn’t mean that he said, yet it was easily implied from the message. The UK and France are the only ones who fit what he said. If it was a misunderstanding it was because of his own idiocy.
To be fair, the decline of US influence predates Trump. Obama’s foreign policy harmed the US’s standing and the farce in Afghanistan was worse, which Biden owns. However, this administration is a torpedo to any trust and it’s hard to see how it can recover. Even when Trump is gone, even if the next administration is Democrat, there will be many allies who will be wary that relations will have to be cautious because 4 years later we could get some other bully who sees alliances as something to exploit and run over. The Americans whining about what they get from alliances are going to find out what it’s like to be alone or trying to ally with dictatorships, while pretending to care so much about democracy and free speech.
It pains me to say it because I have valued having a free USA as an ally and saw them as the best alternative, but there’s only so much nonsense that can be tolerated. The Brexiters were right that sovereignty is an important thing, but my position was that pooling that for trade had benefits that outweighed when it came to the EU. However, when it comes to the USA waltzing in to Europe trying to decide for us what is best when it comes to our interests in national security, they can sod off. We have our own sovereignty. Germany and others are really ramping up their defence now (thank goodness Merz is going to be chancellor and Scholz is going), France too and we should follow suit. The independence from reliance on the USA is vital now and if that means US bases going, so be it. If this makes me a USexiter, fine, it’s the best way for the UK’s interests given the USA doesn’t care about its allies.
The one winner all this, unfortunately, will be China. Hard for me to see anything but a Chinese superpower now.
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Zelensky has put forward his own stipulations for peace. The problem was that previous bullying gave Ukraine no security for long term peace. The big misunderstanding is that those not pro-Russia or apologising for them doesn’t want peace. That’s not it, but it is recognised that capitulating to Russia with no security guarantees only allows Russia to rearm and try again from a position of greater strength. Of course Starmer, Macron and Zelensky will try and put forward something that is more beneficial to Ukraine that what you’d have gladly had them sign up to.
For someone ‘who just wants peace’ you seem uncaring about how Ukraine can have their sovereignty intact and no further invasions. You, like Trump, put more emphasis on the invaded country, not the aggressor, and I think it’s obvious why. The funniest thing is hearing all these right wingers sound like Corbynites wanging on about peace without consideration as to what it really means. A subjugation of Ukraine to Russia, and all that entails (brutality to the occupied regions) when presumably they would never accept the same happening to the UK. Or maybe they would and are plastic patriots who would gladly surrender sovereignty of British territory to a hostile power, abandoning those living there to war crimes.
The ball will now be in Russia and the USA’s court, but everything the USA has done has given Russia no reason to seek compromise themselves. Why bother when the USA wants to cut off all aid to Ukraine and potentially lifting sanctions without even negotiating or demonstrating peace? They have no incentive not to continue and Ukraine are not going to agree to a surrender deal that gives them no defence from future invasion. And when/if that happens, all the ‘people who just want peace’ will go back to blaming Ukraine and Zelensky, with nothing to say about Russia. The country that invaded because a sovereign Ukraine, that it thinks belongs to its empire, is apparently too much for them.
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On a bit of reflection, my analogy would have been better if it was in response to a claim that Putin wanted peace. However, I still stand by the claims that Trump’s ‘peace’ is meaningless given the context. Putin doesn’t even want it. Ukraine will still fight on without Trump’s approval because they know their country is at stake.
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April fools day is next month Bill.
The evil Poles, Churchill and Attlee wanted death, death, death, while poor Hitler and Mussolini wanted peace, peace, peace, but were dragged into war because warmonger UK decided to declare war instead of convincing Poland to a deal which would have favoured Germany to the detriment of Poland.
The free world is now USA and Russia, with its poisoning of dissidents and many window falls for critics. Funny how those who support ‘freedom’ love a tyranny.
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What a great week for speaking home truths.
Free speech being defended, Trump aiming for peace ,peace,peace,Zelenskyy aiming for death,death,death and being shot down in flames. Trump may not be perfect (who is?),but his aims are more inclined to peace and Christian values than the Marxist regime before him.Trump’s peace is to allow Russia to regroup and attack again. You will no doubt be attacking Ukraine then for being ‘warmongers’ then while claiming to stand for peace.
It’s funny how you bemoan Marxism, yet there are many Marxists who make the same silly arguments about ‘peace’ as you do. They also think Zelensky is a warmonger who stands for the evil principles of the west and poor old Putin is being triggered to launch an invasion, where his soldiers abduct Ukrainian children, maim Ukrainian men, mount their heads on pikes, because Ukraine acting in its own sovereign interest should be subject to Russian needs.
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Or maybe it’s all a ploy for today’s shit show. Trump and Vance an embarrassment to what the USA once stood for. They can go back to voting alongside their new pals Russia, North Korea and Eritrea at the UN. I wonder if Vance is going to lecture Putin on causing war, rather than the defending party, and about their poisoning and window falling of dissidents.
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Chester seem to be struggling with Oxford City so far too. Comments from their fans is that they have created little so far and it’s scrappy.
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The one thing AWG was right about is the value of Whitehall.
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