Russia invades Ukraine again?

[macdoc]

That sucks big time...

[Tyrannical]

Trump has been President two months and he's coming closer to brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine than anyone else in the last three years Putin and Zelensky aren't exactly the easiest to negotiate with.

[pErvinalia]

What happened to doing it on day 1?

[Svartalf]

Trump has been President two months and he's coming closer to brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine than anyone else in the last three years Putin and Zelensky aren't exactly the easiest to negotiate with.

he claims so, but he's done no such thing. he's been strong arming zelensky in doing his bidding, but he doesn't have putin's ear, so no ceasefire is actually in sight, let alone real peace.

[Tero]

Europe’s new approach: Hungary’s veto on Ukraine decisions is no longer a roadblock. Diplomats confirm that the EU will move forward with decisions supported by 26 countries, sidelining Orban if necessary.
Hungary’s objections are now being swiftly ignored.

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe- ... ts-summit/

"The European Union maintains its ‘peace through strength’ approach, which requires Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position, with its own robust military and defence capabilities as an essential component," it said.

Meanwhile, a third senior European diplomat said that while the bloc welcomes President Donald Trump's efforts to try and end the war, it was not expecting to change its stance any time soon.

[Tero]

Trump disables air base in Poland
https://www.threads.net/@phoenixrisingd ... 2Qru0xw8tQ

[Tero]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... ace-talks/

"It’s crunch time for Trump on Ukraine. After his phone call with Putin on Monday, Trump tried to declare victory and hand off the peace negotiations to Russia and Ukraine. That’s like telling David and Goliath to be friends, and a recipe for more death. Trump can’t blame this diplomatic disaster on former president Joe Biden. It’s on him."

"A review of Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts tells a troubling story. He clearly understands the immense suffering of this war, and he has repeatedly pledged to end it. But his scattershot diplomacy has led to a series of false starts. He makes proposals but doesn’t follow through. He warns Putin to compromise but does nothing when the Russian leader refuses. He pressures Ukraine, the victim, but not Russia, the attacker."

Trump and Putin spoke again on the phone on Monday, May 19, but Putin refused to budge from his original demands.
"Negotiations of some sort will no doubt resume. Russia will deliver a paper, and Ukraine, Europe and the United States will respond. But the missiles will keep landing on Kyiv, and the bloodbath that Trump deplores will continue.

"Sometimes diplomatic history is ambiguous. But the results of the Ukraine negotiations are crystal clear. Russia, the aggressor, has refused to stop fighting until it gets what it wants. And Trump, the attempted peacemaker, has so far let Putin get away with it.

"Unless Trump finally delivers on his threats, he has folded his hand on what could be the most damaging failure of his presidency."

[aufbahrung]

Putin knows Trump/America was behind the destruction of his bomber fleet. Retaliation will have this in mind. Saying so you don't have to. Parity could be a plausible deniability attack on American airbases somewhere?

[JimC]

Drones are a good fit with asymmetrical warfare...

[Tero]

The drones are Chinese built, hobbyist level.

[Tero]

With Europe’s political kaleidoscope spinning wildly in the populist winds, a group of northern countries is gaining weight as a geopolitical anchor. Known as the Nordic-Baltic eight (NB8 in diplomatic jargon), it brings together small northern European states that, individually, might have little clout in international security and politics. But since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they have wielded growing influence as a pressure group for western resolve, offering an attractive blend of democratic security, defence integration and societal resilience.
The NB8 members regularly caucus before Nato and EU meetings – although Norway and Iceland are not EU members – and coordinate their diplomacy worldwide. Symbolically, the Nordic five share an embassy complex and cultural centre in Berlin, capital of Europe’s biggest economy.

In Europe’s evolving power matrix, the Nordic and Baltic allies have the advantage of being stable, like-minded democracies with a broad consensus in support of defence and deterrence against Russia. That will make them dependable partners for the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, at a time when Poland now faces political instability, France has no parliamentary majority and is shackled by debt, and Italy is reluctant to step up defence efforts.

All eight have linked their armies to the UK and the Netherlands through the Joint Expeditionary Force, maintaining high-readiness forces that are trained to respond rapidly to crises. They are working with Nato to protect vital underwater cables and pipelines from Russian and Chinese sabotage efforts.

Some members have gone further in defence integration. For instance, four Nordic air forces this year created a Nordic division within Nato, whose task is to implement the Nordic Airpower Concept which enables Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish wings to operate as one force in high-readiness full-scale joint air operations. The three Baltic states are building a joint defensive line on their eastern borders modelled on Ukraine’s frontline defences. And Baltic countries are discussing an Estonian concept for a “Baltic drone wall”, using AI and sensors for border monitoring and counter-drone protection.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... rn-resolve

[macdoc]

good article

[JimC]

Go NB8!

[Sean Hayden]

I guess trying to embarrass Zelensky wasn't the brilliant idea needed to secure a peace deal.

[Tero]

ukraineview
2h
President Zelensky: “The Americans asked us not to strike Russia’s energy infrastructure—shortly after, Russia launched a combined attack on our energy facilities in Kremenchuk.”
I think The only way to win this war is by ignoring what the Americans tell you to do, just like Israel. If you need to defend your country, you listen to no one