Ukraine

[Coss]

Orange Clown said he's gonna  ...  Trump said he was planning to speak separately with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin on Monday.  ...  Who amongst us thinks this will pass?

It's 9 am in NZ and approx 7 hrs before Monday, in Washington DC. Let's be charitable and give him the whole 24 hrs of Monday.... waiting...  waiting...  waiting...  

"On Saturday, Trump said he was planning to speak separately with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin on Monday in an effort to finally secure a ceasefire.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently lamented that people who were alive in Ukraine are dead today “because this war continues.”

Not exactly. They’re dead because Russia killed them in an ongoing attempt to subjugate their country. The war isn’t a natural disaster out of anyone’s control, like, say, a hurricane. Russian leader Vladimir Putin chose to aggressively attack Ukraine, and decided every day since then, to keep attacking while making extensive demands.

That’s the central truth of the war, but Russia has always denied it, and under President Donald Trump, the United States denies it as well. That denial renders peace negotiations a farce.

..."

 

[Old Hippie]

On 5/19/2025 at 4:07 AM, Coss said:

Orange Clown said he's gonna  ...  Trump said he was planning to speak separately with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin on Monday.  ...  Who amongst us thinks this will pass?

It's 9 am in NZ and approx 7 hrs before Monday, in Washington DC. Let's be charitable and give him the whole 24 hrs of Monday.... waiting...  waiting...  waiting...  

"On Saturday, Trump said he was planning to speak separately with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin on Monday in an effort to finally secure a ceasefire.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently lamented that people who were alive in Ukraine are dead today “because this war continues.”

Not exactly. They’re dead because Russia killed them in an ongoing attempt to subjugate their country. The war isn’t a natural disaster out of anyone’s control, like, say, a hurricane. Russian leader Vladimir Putin chose to aggressively attack Ukraine, and decided every day since then, to keep attacking while making extensive demands.

That’s the central truth of the war, but Russia has always denied it, and under President Donald Trump, the United States denies it as well. That denial renders peace negotiations a farce.

..."

 

So essentially, dump is once again self aggrandizing his importance/impotence in this matter. Poo-tin has his agenda and has gotten his little orange bitch to propagate his lies and bullshit, all of a sudden, the magats have turned 180 and now Ukraine is at fault and the aggressor who invaded poor Russia.  Even Russians know this is bullshit. Truth is, Ukraine has been handing Russia their ass, but at great expense. The stats are clear, Russias stock piles are down, the military leaders have been killed off (some say many were done in by their own troops)their navy has been decimated etc…poo-tin demands more than he has already taken…why? Why is dump even involved? We all know he craves a Noble prize, for what is anyone’s guess, but he keeps trying…So him playing peace maker may help? Doubtful as he is still a well hated piece of shit…poo-tin’s bitch on a good day…a disgrace to this country as is his cabinet of misfit alcoholics, drug user/addicts and sex offenders etc…we elected a convicted felon a rapist and no one seems to give a shit…not the assholes who voted for him and now face higher prices, not the republican’ts or the democrats, no one lines up against him…why? All too 1938ish for many….

[Coss]

 

Ukraine destroys more than 40 military aircraft in drone attack deep inside Russia

... the attack took over 1  1/2-years to execute ...

The aircraft hit reportedly includes the A-50 radar surveillance plane, as well as Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers ...

The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said. The drones hit airfields including the Belaya air base in Russia's Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) from Ukraine...

... apparently the containers had remote controlled roofs that opened, releasing numerous drones ...  long range bombers eh?

VIDEO

Colour me impressed - were it not for the Orange Dump, one could be forgiven for thinking, that the US had a hand in this and the outcome is good for humanity generally.

LINK

[Coss]

US sanctions against Russia, again being floated...

Putin say No.

Trump says new Russia sanctions could hurt peace talks, scarfs cheeseburger and mulls Golden Palace Yacht.

[bust]

Australia's Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after nine months

The decision to send retired Abrams tanks to aid Ukraine's war effort was announced in October of last year. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)

In short:

The first of Australia's retired M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, nine months after they were gifted to aid the country's war effort.

The lengthy delay was blown out by the need to gain Washington's approval to send the US-made tanks to a third country, and what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described earlier this year as "logistics challenges".

The remainder of the total 49 tanks are expected "in the coming months".

The first of Australia's retired M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, nine months after they were gifted to aid the country's war effort.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the tanks, first promised last October, would "make a significant contribution" to Ukraine's "ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion".

More than half of the 49 promised tanks have now reached the Ukrainian army, according to a statement from Mr Marles, with the remainder expected "in the coming months".

The lengthy delay was blown out by the need to gain Washington's approval to send the US-made tanks to a third country, and what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described earlier this year as "logistics challenges".

US officials question use of Australia's retired tanks as vehicles go to Ukraine

Photo shows A tank fires a large fiery blast in a field.

American officials remain privately frustrated over Australia's decision to donate retired Abrams tanks to Ukraine, even as the vehicles finally begin the long sea journey to the battleground.

In May, when the ships were first being loaded, a US official told the ABC of American frustration about the "complicated" undertaking to send tanks that the Ukrainians would find "difficult to sustain" once in their possession.

An Australian official told the ABC in April there was "doubt if the Ukrainians actually want these vehicles", which had never seen combat and were being replaced, and which could be vulnerable to drones given their weak roofs.

But the tanks were requested by Ukraine, and the gift has been welcomed publicly by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.

"These modified M1A1 Abrams tanks will deliver more firepower and more mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.

"They meet a direct request from the Ukrainian government and form part of Australia's unwavering commitment to protect the global rules-based order."

The 49 tanks come from a fleet of 59 originally purchased in 2007. They are being replaced by the M1A2 model.

They are valued at $245 million, part of a total of $1.5 billion in Australian assistance to Ukraine.

[Coss]

and because the MAGA still believe that Trump is great ::

Trump has said

During the 2024 campaign, he claimed he could end the war “in 24 hours” by meeting both Zelenskyy and Putin, saying “I’ll have that done in 24 hours” after talking to each of them, without specifying the deal’s substance.

LINK

After taking office again, he said he had a “lengthy and highly fruitful” call with Putin and that they had “agreed to have our respective teams commence negotiations without delay” on resolving the conflict.

LINK

He has said he believes “President Putin desires peace” and that both Putin and Zelenskyy “seek peace,” presenting himself as the broker who can bring them together.

LINK

In interviews, he has argued that Putin “will make a deal” on Ukraine because of their personal rapport, suggesting Putin wants to “finalize it” and implying that without Trump, Putin “wouldn’t be engaging with anyone.”

LINK

He has also indicated that any peace arrangement he is pursuing would exclude Ukraine from joining NATO, while hinting at some form of security guarantees with Europe as the “first line of defense” and no U.S. troops in Ukraine.

LINK

At points he has said he believes there is already a “framework for a deal” and has urged Zelenskyy publicly to compromise, even criticizing Ukrainian statements on Crimea as “provocative” and claiming a peace deal is “very close.”

LINK

____

For reference, Coss has been on record, as disbelieving all of the above statements, and has been proven correct.

I suggest that the world media, for the small fee of half Trump's salary, ask Coss for advice, when they write their stories.

I can work from home and will respond to queries about Trump's statements with one of two preprepared answers.

A/. "Bullshit!"

or

B/. "Bullshit!"

[Coss]

So how's Putin doing?

_____

At the start of the year, the Russian economy looked to be giving way. Under the strain of war and sanctions, revenues were falling, production was shrinking and trade was running low. With rising tariffs, credit was prohibitively expensive and borrowing all but impossible: A wave of bankruptcies was on the horizon. In late January, Russia was forced to sell oil to India at just $22 per barrel, about a third of the market rate. As a symbol of unsustainability, it was hard to beat.

President Vladimir Putin has heard such complaints throughout the war. Yet, according to those around him, he has chosen largely not to listen. Officials and business leaders, for their part, understood that the continuation of the war was his absolute priority and that the country’s economic situation was of little consequence. But in February something shifted. Mr. Putin began, suddenly, to pay attention to the flagging economy. There were even signs he might be changing his mind on negotiations with Ukraine, perhaps seeking an exit from the conflict.

Then came the war in Iran. In one swoop, the conditions for conciliation were overturned. Amid buoyant oil prices, Western division and American overreach, the pressure on Mr. Putin to come to terms ebbed away. By a strange twist of history, the start of the war in Iran halted the prospect of ending the war in Ukraine — at the very moment when Mr. Putin appeared ready to consider it.

In February, Mr. Putin seemed ready to change course and overhaul his negotiating team. Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s chief envoy who is widely seen as an insubstantial figure with no real mandate, was reportedly on the verge of dismissal. The leading candidate to replace him was Igor Sechin, the head of the state oil giant Rosneft. Regarded as Mr. Putin’s right-hand man, Mr. Sechin previously oversaw Russia’s relationships with Latin America, as well as the cultivation of close relationships with American oil executives. Here was an indication that Mr. Putin might begin to take talks seriously.

At the same time, rumors began circulating of an imminent large-scale reshuffle of the Russian government. If Mr. Putin were to engage properly in negotiations and pursue peace with Ukraine, he would have to entirely rebuild the structure of power. According to people close to the Kremlin, that could include dismissing the current government. Clouds had already begun to gather over Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin: Individuals close to him have recently become defendants in criminal cases.

We will never know what might have happened. On Feb. 28, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack; in the days that followed, everything changed. Oil prices surged above $100 a barrel and, in a major reversal, the United States lifted sanctions on Russian oil. Demand soared for Russian fertilizer as the world reeled from disruptions to food supply. All of a sudden, the economic problems bedevilling Russia seemed to evaporate. ...  more at the LINK

[Coss]

Trump announces three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. LINK

But have Russia and Ukraine read the Truth Social Posts? Do they care?

Trump - “This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Also " Cheeseburger and a Diet Coke."

for context:

(March 2023): Trump began claiming he could resolve the war "within 24 hours," stating that he knew exactly what to say to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.