Ukraine vs Russia III

My retrospect for the election regarding Ukraine is that a huge reason for voter apathy on Trump's non-intervention policy is that Russia is just not scary anymore. Frankly they've been comical. The average American is going to put getting some of their wages lost to inflation back over keeping Ukraine whole. Most of us are self-centered.

Long term this means that the onus of keeping NATO secure will fall more and more on Europe. Americans are more worried about Taiwan falling to China than anything that happens in Ukraine.

 

Who can offer the bigger bribe and ego stroking?

 

One shiny new Trump tower in Shanghai financial district and Taiwan is done for

 

From what I understand, slight damage was potentially inflicted upon "Tatarstan" and "Dagestan"

 

A correction - it wasn't a sea drone, it was a very large airborne drone (probably a converted small private aircraft). It appears it was targeting a corvette or similar small military ship - it isn't clear if it hit or not from the footage we have now.

 

I've read a few commentators that actually suggest (or maybe advocate) the opposite - the US limits what Ukraine does and Ukraine obeys to keep getting weapons. If that agreement is gone, then Ukraine can take off the gloves.

 

Okay, a couple of things.

1) As @spejic, @Yoshou , and others have noted, the Russians lack the ability to conduct large-scale offensives going forward. Their army is so exhausted they are bringing in North Korean troops to grind out a few hundred meters in Kursk.

2) If the United States abandons NATO, some European nations will also do so -- but there is zero doubt in my mind that it will liberate the Baltics and Poland to assist the Ukrainians. Right now the Poles could go 100-200km into Belarus unopposed.

3) The Ukrainians aren't completely, hopelessly dependent on the USA for equipment. They face political obstacles and financing, but there are a lot of countries out there who have weapons and would sell them to Ukraine. South Korea, in particular, strikes me as a country ready to help out.

4) Russia's economy is not getting better. They are in the throes of a demographic death spiral. Their institutions are completely dependent on the whims of an elderly cabal of gangsters, the deaths of whom would plunge the entire country into civil war.

Ukraine beat back Russia's best armed forces with a bunch of Javelins in April 2022. There's no way they will resort to guerrilla warfare now. It's entirely possible that Trump's election forces Ukraine to accept loss of Crimea and the Donbas.

It's also possible that Ukraine continues without the US and wins.

 

Zelensky has just called to congratulate Drumpf and hope he will continue US support.
Hate to say it he’d be better off calling NATO.
But then Putin doesn’t like NATO. So there another question for Herr Drumpf!!!

 

And having something like a million young males deleted from the workforce because they were killed or grievously injured in Ukraine isn't going to help with the demographics.

 

That civil war would be an awesome spectacle, if not for the fact that the grand prize for the winning faction of thugs would be a nuclear arsenal.

 

Give him credit for trying to curry favor with the Putin Puppet. Probably hoping for a not-so-terrible "peace agreement" that just gives Putey the land he's already taken. Worst case is we cut all aid & bomb Ukraine along with Putin.

 

I saw this in my YouTube feed yesterday. Sobering, really. That RS-28 Sarmat is a thing of nightmares.

 

Russian Major General Pavel Klimenko, commander of the 5th separate motorized rifle brigade, was killed when a Ukrainian drone hit him while he was on a motorbike. I think this has been the first general in quite a while.

 

Ukraine has started capturing a number of the North Korean Type 73 light machine guns in the Kursk area, and not from North Korean troops but from Russian ones.

I know when the mobilization first started many soldiers were handed rusted and inoperative AK's, but I thought Russia has squared that problem and was producing plenty of small arms. Surprising that Russia now has to import those as well.

 

if they bargain right they can get the price down to letting him keep his Scottish golf course.

 

It's an apples to oranges comparison though. Ukraine is not Iraq and certainly not Afghanistan.

 

Trump is going to do more damage inside USA than he will do to NATO.


While I would have preferred Kamala, Trump could be better than Ukraine because he will give 2 shits about Russian red lines and Putin knew Biden was more predictable

And if you think about it whatever Putin has on Trump ... it means nothing now. He can't hurt Trump now. And this is not me snuffing hopium and copium I have said that the aid will continue under Trump in the past. @The Jitty Slitter even made fun of my prediction. Well I guess we will see as it is not a hypothetical anymore

And if Democrats have the House (which I see is a very realistic chance) those chances increase exponentially.
No one could resist the US MIC, Trump won't either as the beast must be fed.

 

To me, the Republican that is most interesting is Susan Wiles. She has been in the middle of everything smart that Republicans have done in the last decade. She, along with Elon Musk, was instrumental in this campaign and now she is chief of staff. If she can guide Trump then we might see some rationality in this term.

 

Just about all attempts by "the adults in the room" to guide Trump during his last term were resented by him and none of the attempts lasted long.

 

Anyone know how much influence this Bryan Lanza guy will have over the USA’s Ukraine policy?

Trump ally says Ukraine focus must be peace, not territory https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxrwr078v7o