"The 1980's are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

Comes down to...YOU ASSHOLES WERE SUPPOSED TO VOTE FOR HILLARY!!!!

Trump may very well dangle that carrot to get them to sign.

I'm sure Russia will re-integrate with the global economy, but it will be in stages to make sure they don't go back on any deal.

It's possible a more vigorous Western movement before the invasion might've curtailed it. But the U.S. administration seemed resigned to the "minor incursion."

Honestly, they seemed resigned to losing all of Ukraine.
Remember "I need ammo, not a ride"?

The combination of (1) the profound ineptitude of the Russian military at all levels and (2) the surprising resilience of the Ukrainians upended expectations.

Once it was clear that the Russians could be stopped, it became imperative to do it.

Exposing the Cracks at the Heart of Putin’s War Economy
The Russian economy is spluttering under the weight of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine just as Presidents Putin and Trump meet to talk peace

By Bloomberg News

https://archive.ph/HFPFr

NATO is a smokescreen.

Chum thrown out for the anti-Americans.

It wasn’t Ukraine moving forward with NATO membership that caused the 2014 invasion.

It was EU membership.

Poland and the Baltics as successful, free and democratic nations are bad enough. No way can Putin have a ‘Russian’ (remember his and thus Russia’s stance is that Ukrainians are Russian) nation on its border that is free, democratic and prosperous.

Thus when the Ukrainian people decided to turn away from oligarchic kleptocracy and towards liberal democracy and European integration Putin invaded and destabilized.

What are you talking about?

The US Administration was hawkish for months before the invasion. Going so far as to override the IC (who is always protective of their info) to share our knowledge of the Russian troop buildup with our NATO allies.

Exactly. The Biden Administration knew this invasion was in the offing months ahead of time and did little to atop it other than to promise economic consequences. Which was a price Putin was willing to pay.

If the Russians had been halfway competent, they would've taken control of Ukraine inside a week. It's only because of their massive failures (and the resilience of the Ukrainians) that the invasion turned into a drawn-out conflict.

Had things gone as the Administration expected, Ukraine would be in Russian hands.

What more ought they have done to stop it ahead of time?

1. Make stronger diplomatic effort to allay Russia's concerns about NATO expansion.

2. Expedite delivery of heavier weapons to Ukraine.

3. Initiate sanctions as soon as preparations for invasion were evident.

4. Not suggest that some level of incursion was acceptable.

Not sure how (1) would be achieved but fair enough.

Deploy NATO troops to the Ukraine border. Call it "joint training exercises".

Even US State Media is forced to admit that Trump got ‘steamrolled’. ‘Putin came in, got his photo ops, said his talking points and left’ according to the commies at Fox News:

https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lwhzahl5hg2h

Just a side note but there were TN Nasty Girls in Ukraine doing joint training exercises when the Russians invaded.

Well that was quick.

Turns out the Fox News reporter on the scene was LYING!

Brian Kilmeade was texting with Sean Hannity who had just had a phone call with Trump in which Trump said it was a 10/10 meeting.

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lwi3pksaus2r

Sorry for posting misinformation.

So nothing useful seems to have been gained, other than Trump getting to feel like a big boy, and Putin getting a meeting to further his domestic narrative that Ukraine is a US puppet state.

Great job America.

I don't know if it was Amber Alert's idea or someone else's but I give them a little credit for having a formation of F-35s and a B-2 fly over as he and Putin were walking down the red carpet.

"If we wanted to--which I definitely don't, master--we could totally fuck your shit up."

I do have to say i enjoyed the B-2 flyover right above Putin immensely
https://x.com/jerrydunleavy/status/1956441724181709136?s=46&t=5aZSVQnFQ1P3I81ZDJtFug

Remember when Putin heard that Merkel was scared of dogs and then had some present at a meeting with her?

I hope this little Russian cocksucker shat his pants a bit there

Not trying to be a dick but my understanding is that it was two F-22s flanking each side of an B-2.

At first I thought that, too (especially since F-22s were on the ramp that Yam Tits and his boss were walking on) but they’re F-35s.

Single-engine, not twin-engine like an F-22.

Well fuck me, my bad.

Good on your eyes.

Looks like it's back to Basic for you

Hypothetically, what was to stop them from kidnapping Putin? Yeah, it'd cause a war - but is there anything other than diploma protocol?

Nope.
Nothing preventing it.
Except Trump's fealty.

Very little, unless there was some hostage given over behind the scenes. But I doubt that.

It's a Highlander holy ground situation; no one will violate that rule, no matter the temptation.

No good source behind it yet but I've seen this from a couple of people who are not unreliable and it tracks with what is confirmed.

Putin's peace proposal is to return Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to Ukrainian control with Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea becoming a permanent part of Russian territory.



US security guarantees but no NATO membership for Ukraine. They can join the EU.

With all of the European leaders trooping off to the meeting tomorrow, it would seem to me that this proposal (if genuine) is being taken seriously. Zelensky and Witkoff are both making noises as if they're preparing to sell an agreement as a win.

That would be a pretty good outcome, at least as good as one could reasonably expect.

Ukraine loses two territories whose populations have historically identified with Russia and are, in any event, quite devastated from the war, but they don't lose access to the Aral Sea.

Putin keeps Ukraine out of NATO, but the West rebuilds Ukraine. We send enough Javelins to arm every man in eastern Ukraine a dozen times over.

Meanwhile, Poland keeps its poking finger over the big red Article 5 Button?