You made the argument with your copy and paste quote.
BTW Sudzha is operationally encircled by the Russians - pick a map.
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Moldova Votes for EU Accession
- Thread starter biku324
- Start date
You made the argument with your copy and paste quote.
BTW Sudzha is operationally encircled by the Russians - pick a map.
You can't be that naive.
Foreign policy and world strategy IS based on the average citizen's ignorance. Look who they vote for. LOL!!!
OP
Actually, no - the quote doesn't even suggest ignoring Russian occupied sovereign Ukrainian territory.
Encircled...but not occupied. Like the other 1200 square kilometers of Russia Ukraine now occupies.
Encircled...but not occupied. Like the other 1200 square kilometers of Russia Ukraine now occupies.
No, you did. But whatever.
YeshuaIsa53
Member
Reuters
Trump says he sympathizes with Russia's opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine
Gram Slattery and Helen Reid
Tue, January 7, 2025 at 3:11 PM EST·2 min read
234
A Ukrainian serviceman walks at a position with an anti-drone rifle in a front line, in Zaporizhzhia region
By Gram Slattery and Helen Reid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he sympathized with the Russian position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO, and he lamented that he will not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before his inauguration.
Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump also blamed outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden for allegedly changing the U.S. position on NATO membership for Ukraine.
"A big part of the problem is, Russia - for many, many years, long before Putin - said, 'You could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.' Now, they've said that. That's been, like, written in stone," Trump said.
"And somewhere along the line Biden said, 'No. They should be able to join NATO.' Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feelings about that."
Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have officially expressed support for Ukraine's eventual membership since the Bucharest Summit of 2008, and the Biden administration continues to support Ukraine's eventual NATO accession, though Ukraine has never been extended an invitation.
Trump's aides and allies generally oppose NATO membership for Ukraine, at least in the foreseeable future, seeing it as an unnecessary provocation toward Moscow.
Ukraine's leaders, meanwhile, have aggressively pushed for a NATO invitation, saying it is key to deterring further Russian aggression.
Trump had said on the campaign trail before the Nov. 5 election that he could solve the war in Ukraine before even taking office. While he still says he will quickly solve it, he has largely dropped that line, and he is now due to take office in less than two weeks.
"I hope to have six months. No, I would think, I hope long before six months," Trump said, when asked if he could solve the war within half a year.
"Look, Russia is losing a lot of young people, and so is Ukraine, and it should have never been started."
He also complained that he could not meet with Putin until after he takes office on Jan. 20. He said, without elaborating, that such a meeting would be inappropriate.
"I know that Putin would like to meet," Trump said. "I don't think it's appropriate that I meet until after the 20th which I hate, because, you know, every day people are being – many, many young people are being killed."
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)
No comment.
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OP
Maybe Putin should plan a meeting at The Hague. 
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. Attention Required! | Cloudflare
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. Attention Required! | Cloudflare
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abigails&w
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Sadly true. But Moldova does not deserve this.
Moldovans are actually Romanians and speak same Romanian language spoken in Romania. Lots of Russians added to the population mix since Moldova was made part of USSR. It's Russians who spread the lie the Moldovans are a separate people and Moldovan language exists as a distinct language. It was communist Russians are who made that former Romanian province a Soviet republic black hole.
Long before the Russians, they had Stephen the Great Stephen the Great - Wikipedia, I am sure they can do well in EU and even in NATO if they will be accepted there.
OP
Russia sits nicely be tween Italy, Canada, and Mexico in IMF GDP, except it takes more than twice as many Russians to produce what Italy does, and more than 3x as many Russians as Canadians to produce similar GDP. Mexico and and Russia are the most directly comparable, although Mexico has a similar GDP with 10% less population.
GDP 2024 GDP 2022 Per Capita Population
9 Italy $2.33 Tn $2.05 Tn $39,230 59,342,900
10 Canada $2.24 Tn $2.14 Tn $56,418 39,742,400
11 Russia $2.06 Tn $2.24 Tn $14,203 144,820,000
12 Mexico $2.02 Tn $1.46 Tn $15,414 130,861,000
GDP Ranked by Country 2024
GDP 2024 GDP 2022 Per Capita Population
9 Italy $2.33 Tn $2.05 Tn $39,230 59,342,900
10 Canada $2.24 Tn $2.14 Tn $56,418 39,742,400
11 Russia $2.06 Tn $2.24 Tn $14,203 144,820,000
12 Mexico $2.02 Tn $1.46 Tn $15,414 130,861,000
GDP Ranked by Country 2024
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YeshuaIsa53
Member
Think I recall Trump complaining about several, if not many, members of NATO who do not use 5% of their GDP on defense. Seems like this was a membership must. Trump wants to see those countries belly up to the bar.
Guess they should, given the givens.
Guess they should, given the givens.
Next batter...Armenia.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...S&cvid=8c55b5f283164ee09aac9c6209cecb4d&ei=26
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...S&cvid=8c55b5f283164ee09aac9c6209cecb4d&ei=26
OP
It was actually 2% of GDP per country. In 2020, 9 NATO countries met the standard - in 2024, 23 NATO countries met it, with only 8 small countries slightly below that. Access Denied
YeshuaIsa53
Member
quote: Does the average American care what happens in Ukraine? The average American can't find it on the map. unquote
Should they be asked about Ukraine, they have cell phones that store such images for them.
Should they be asked about Ukraine, they have cell phones that store such images for them.
On Dec. 6, 1941 half of Americans (or more) couldn't find Hawaii on a map.
On August 31, 1939 probably a quarter of Americans couldn't find Poland on a map.
On August 31, 1939 probably a quarter of Americans couldn't find Poland on a map.
YeshuaIsa53
Member
Thank you. I was thinking the two percenters were the low ones. I should have researched that rather than go from a bad memory.
Once they realized he was serious, those countries started to find the means to pay their share.
IIRC, Poland currently spends about 3% of it's GDP on defense. They agreed to buy 1,000 K2 tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers, and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea, with much of the armor to be license built in Poland.
I expect that YOU know all of that and more, but some people don't seem to think that Europe takes the Russian threat seriously.
Personally, as long as the money we send to Ukraine is spent for their military, I'm content to keep our military away from there.
The big if being is the money being spent on what it was sent there for?
IIRC, Poland currently spends about 3% of it's GDP on defense. They agreed to buy 1,000 K2 tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers, and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea, with much of the armor to be license built in Poland.
I expect that YOU know all of that and more, but some people don't seem to think that Europe takes the Russian threat seriously.
Personally, as long as the money we send to Ukraine is spent for their military, I'm content to keep our military away from there.
The big if being is the money being spent on what it was sent there for?
OP
Poland is over 4% as of 2024. We spend 3.4%.
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YeshuaIsa53
Member
My old memory impelled me to dig and research.
Found someone's statement from long ago that will suffice. We should remember Putin's energy behind his push.
“CPC only happened because Russia was weak and the West dictated it,” Dellecker told ICIJ. When Putin came to power, “The whole calculation changes,” he said. “It becomes about Russia regaining its former glory. For Putin, the CPC project is not about quarterly profits, or even annual profits. It’s about gaining control.” Putin’s pipeline: How the Kremlin outmaneuvered Western oil companies to wrest control of vast flows of Kazakhstan’s crude - ICIJ
Found someone's statement from long ago that will suffice. We should remember Putin's energy behind his push.
“CPC only happened because Russia was weak and the West dictated it,” Dellecker told ICIJ. When Putin came to power, “The whole calculation changes,” he said. “It becomes about Russia regaining its former glory. For Putin, the CPC project is not about quarterly profits, or even annual profits. It’s about gaining control.” Putin’s pipeline: How the Kremlin outmaneuvered Western oil companies to wrest control of vast flows of Kazakhstan’s crude - ICIJ
OP
Putin mastered 'soft power.' Use every lever (misinformation and natural resources) supported with just enough military power in order to get what you want - once we were busy in AF and IQ and he had built up enough reserves, he snuck in to South Ossetia (Georgia) with 'little green men' who were actually Russian soldiers and contractors. No real pushback.
In 2014, Crimea - some pushback, but by then he was suppling 35% of the EU's natural gas. No real pushback. At the same time he used a less-expensive tactic involving co-opting locals in eastern Ukraine. No serious pushback other than from the Ukrainian government in low-level conflict.
When he had nearly 40% of the EU gas market and 2 years' fiscal reserves, it was 2022 - he went for it. But he didn't consider Ukrainian resolve, which stiffened NATO's resolve. Now it's almost 3 years later, and his conventional modern military equipment is nearly exhausted, his fiscal reserves are burned through or frozen, and Europe no longer buys his natural gas. He has to sell gas and oil at reduced prices, which drives down everyone else's prices, which means he has to produce more and more; that screws OPEC, which needs money also and can no longer control supply with Russia flooding the market.
He has used the internet to foment social disruption in his opposition at very low cost and with some success; he's used borrowed, corrupt political muscle from an oligarch he owns in Georgia (Bidzina Ivanishvili) to try to drive Georgia away from the EU; the Georgians are resisting every day. He's trying a different tactic in Armenia, but they remember Russia and hate the Russians. We'll see how this goes.
The single most important thing to remember about Putin is that is is not a former Soviet KGB agent turned politician; he is an unrepentant Soviet KGB agent using politics to attempt to correct, "..the collapse of the Soviet Union...the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century."
In 2014, Crimea - some pushback, but by then he was suppling 35% of the EU's natural gas. No real pushback. At the same time he used a less-expensive tactic involving co-opting locals in eastern Ukraine. No serious pushback other than from the Ukrainian government in low-level conflict.
When he had nearly 40% of the EU gas market and 2 years' fiscal reserves, it was 2022 - he went for it. But he didn't consider Ukrainian resolve, which stiffened NATO's resolve. Now it's almost 3 years later, and his conventional modern military equipment is nearly exhausted, his fiscal reserves are burned through or frozen, and Europe no longer buys his natural gas. He has to sell gas and oil at reduced prices, which drives down everyone else's prices, which means he has to produce more and more; that screws OPEC, which needs money also and can no longer control supply with Russia flooding the market.
He has used the internet to foment social disruption in his opposition at very low cost and with some success; he's used borrowed, corrupt political muscle from an oligarch he owns in Georgia (Bidzina Ivanishvili) to try to drive Georgia away from the EU; the Georgians are resisting every day. He's trying a different tactic in Armenia, but they remember Russia and hate the Russians. We'll see how this goes.
The single most important thing to remember about Putin is that is is not a former Soviet KGB agent turned politician; he is an unrepentant Soviet KGB agent using politics to attempt to correct, "..the collapse of the Soviet Union...the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century."
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OP
The money goes in from three basic tranches - from the EU institutionally, also additional from individual EU and other countries, and from us. Here is the single best tracker of UKR aid from all sources: Ukraine Support Tracker | Kiel Institute
Most of the high-level firings Zelensky has done have been for corruption. He's trying to keep the nation alive, and tolerating corruption can kill assistance. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/03/euro...defense-minister-reznikov-intl-hnk/index.html Zelensky Fires All Heads of Ukraine's Military Call-Up Centers - Newsweek
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