9 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

Putin will not accept any peace plan as he has gotten Russia into a situation where the Kremlin can't afford to lose the war, or win it. 

Here's why. Can't lose for obvious reasons like his regime would collapse, he has isolated Russia internationally, brought down sanctions on Russia, lost over a million dead and many more wounded, put Russia into a war economy to survive, prices are going up fast for normal goods etc... he has to provide something tangible gained for the sacrifice and show the Russian public that it was worth it somehow.

Can't afford to win it really either because the new war economy now employs such a significant % of the population, and if suddenly it stops (win or lose) and that war production is no longer needed, then people will lose jobs, sanctions and isolation continue, Russian society could very easily errupt into chaos. On top of that, if Russia wins and gets what it wants, then how is it going to rebuild the Donbas and other oblasts it has taken that have pretty much been reduced to rubble? There's nothing left of them and the Kremlin certainly can't afford that bill. For Putin, carrying on with the fight makes the most sense... but he's kidding himself really, and the clock is ticking for the Kremlin as the Russian economy is getting fragile to say the least.

Quite the pickle for Putin and his ill-judged deluded invasion of a neighbour.

 

Sounds like he is stuck in a tar baby.  

3 hours ago, jimmybcool said:

 

Sounds like he is stuck in a tar baby.  

He can take a leaf put of the Israeli playbook and offer free land for settlers. It's already happening in Mariupol 

 

 

5 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

The real victims in Trumps heroic negotiated peace deal finally ending the senseless killing are the worldwide left. They had so much emotion invested in ensuring the war dragged on and worsened steadily. To see this MOA rug pull on the poor lefties is devastating. I'm thinking CNN and the rest can conjure up wild narratives about Venezuela and we can use it as a substitute so they get to play armchair generals again?

 

Anyway, butthurt lefties aside, marvellous job Mr Trump. You did what the warmongering democrats had no chance in achieving.

Heroic?

Trump?

Does not compute.

Left wingers?

You mean like John Bolton?

 

Another superb video from Vlad Vexler. He sees dark times ahead - the old order is finished and defending it from that premise is a losing strategy. He's more sanguine than I am about Western democracies' ability to resist the authoritarian undertow now forming around China's rise, but his philosophical understanding of social dynamics is peerless.

 

The critical nuance:
The tweet from document 73 is key (though I can't see the full text, the summary shows): He argues the liberal international order is already broken - Putin didn't break it by invading Ukraine; he invaded because it was already broken. This suggests he thinks the framework that protected democratic values globally has already collapsed.
His darker qualifications:

"Normal democracy" is over - By the 2030s, even Western countries will struggle to be "normal functioning democracies" 

 

 

15 hours ago, FlorC said:

Ok , further war to the last (willing) Ukranian.😄

 

14 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Agree. The EU is more about weakening Russia than saving Ukraine. If the war continues, which is likely, it will end in victory for one side and defeat for the other. As it is Russia continues it's move toward the Dnipro River which is where IMO the battleline will be halted in the coming years. Indeed Zaporizhzhia located on the Dnipro may well fall in 6 months from now. The ground that Zelensky cannot give to the Russians will eventually be taken. This is reality not some pro-Russian talking point.

 

Can you chaps advise where I can get my own "Shameless Kremlin Apologist" or even better, "Putin's my BFF" t-shirt. Preferably in red to go with my MAGA cap?

12 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Be interesting to know. I would think that many questions directed at the current press secretary would be about the massive scandal surrounding Zylensky..

 

Is that the one that's so massive, it's completely filling that space between your ears?

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Heroic?

Trump?

Does not compute.

Left wingers?

You mean like John Bolton?

 

 

There should be Bolton's Law which runs in tandem with Godwin's Law. A truly evil man 

 

 

13 hours ago, transam said:

I think the major loss has been Putin's 4 years of losses, over a bit of land grab, wouldn't you agree.....?  🤫

 

Did you note there was no response except to post a deflection piece by some Ukrainian that we're supposed to pay attention to? I mean does anyone ever pay any attention to what former presidential press secretaries say? If your not a Kremlin shill I mean?

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

 

Can you chaps advise where I can get my own "Shameless Kremlin Apologist" or even better, "Putin's my BFF" t-shirt. Preferably in red to go with my MAGA cap?

Ridiculous comment. According to you anyone who states Russian troops are winning on the battlefield are a  "Shameless Kremlin Apologist". Well here's some news for you. Russian troops ARE winning on the battlefield and there is no way Ukraine can take back the 20%+ of Ukraine that Russia has taken. This is the reality. You can deny it all you like but it doesn't change the facts.

2 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Ridiculous comment. According to you anyone who states Russian troops are winning on the battlefield are a  "Shameless Kremlin Apologist". Well here's some news for you. Russian troops ARE winning on the battlefield and there is no way Ukraine can take back the 20%+ of Ukraine that Russia has taken. This is the reality. You can deny it all you like but it doesn't change the facts.

 

And no matter how many times you and your cohort couch your viewpoints in terms of only wishing to end the lamentable loss of Ukrainian lives, your enduring support for the aggressor shines through.

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

And no matter how many times you and your cohort couch your viewpoints in terms of only wishing to end the lamentable loss of Ukrainian lives, your enduring support for the aggressor shines through.

Stating Russia is winning on the battlefield is a matter of fact NOT a matter of support.

1 minute ago, dinsdale said:

Stating Russia is winning on the battlefield is a matter of fact NOT a matter of support.

"Winning" with very slow very tiny gains at massive cost of Russian lives (not that Putin cares abour those liives).

No mention of Ukraine's amazing success against military targets in all over Russia.

The front lines are not the entire war.

10 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Stating Russia is winning on the battlefield is a matter of fact NOT a matter of support.

 

Stop wriggling. It's not working.

20 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

"Winning" with very slow very tiny gains at massive cost of Russian lives (not that Putin cares abour those liives).

No mention of Ukraine's amazing success against military targets in all over Russia.

The front lines are not the entire war.

Again your knowlege (or lack thereof) of the doctrine of attritional warfare is on show. As for tiny gains capturing Pokrovsk and operationally (possibly physically now) surrounding Mynorhad aren't tiny gains.

BREAKING : Witkoff Discusses Ukraine Plans With Key Putin Aide: Transcript - leaked to Bloomberg 

 

https://archive.ph/GNvUF#selection-1221.0-1221.63

 

 

32 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Again your knowlege (or lack thereof) of the doctrine of attritional warfare is on show. As for tiny gains capturing Pokrovsk and operationally (possibly physically now) surrounding Mynorhad aren't tiny gains.

I agree Russia is winning the front lines part now, though much more modestly than you and assorted useful idiots for Putin propaganda such as Vance assert.

You give your game away by acting as if the war is ONLY about the front lines.

Ukraine has cards.

 

 

40 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The front lines are not the entire war

Wars are won on the battlefield. As for Ukrainin strikes within Russia this is certainly the case but it doesn't change the reality on the battlefield where the next cities to fall (Pokrovsk now being effectively captured) into Russian control will be Mynorhad and as previously stated this is now either operationally surrounded or physically surrounded,  Huliaipole, Kostiantynivka (now in the process of being operationally surrounded), Siversk (Russian forces have entered), Kupiansk (Russians have a stronghold west of the river) and in the north Vovchansk is rapidly falling under total Russian control. Again this is what's happening on the battlefield and unless an agreement is settled upon it will be on the battlefield where this war is brought to an end. NOTE: This is a neutral assessment.

5 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Wars are won on the battlefield. As for Ukrainin strikes within Russia this is certainly the case but it doesn't change the reality on the battlefield where the next cities to fall (Pokrovsk now being effectively captured) into Russian control will be Mynorhad and as previously stated this is now either operationally surrounded or physically surrounded,  Huliaipole, Kostiantynivka (now in the process of being operationally surrounded), Siversk (Russian forces have entered), Kupiansk (Russians have a stronghold west of the river) and in the north Vovchansk is rapidly falling under total Russian control. Again this is what's happening on the battlefield and unless an agreement is settled upon it will be on the battlefield where this war is brought to an end. NOTE: This is a neutral assessment.

More propaganda above. 

Russia is not capable of winning this war on the battlefield and neither is Ukraine.

How many years has it been in what was an SMO that was supposed to be over in days or weeks?

32 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Again your knowlege (or lack thereof) of the doctrine of attritional warfare is on show. As for tiny gains capturing Pokrovsk and operationally (possibly physically now) surrounding Mynorhad aren't tiny gains.

 

Oooh, condescension. Didn't expect that, did we?

 

Support for the aggressor masquerading as some online font of knowledge on "the doctrine of attritional warfare." Puleeze...

 

You appeasers would be funny if it wasn't so serious.

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I've heard that Putin rejected even the original made in Moscow plan.

sounds like you have someone on the inside of the Kremlin, do tell us more

15 hours ago, dinsdale said:

This month Russian forces will have captured more than 1000 km^2.  Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are all but gone. Major loss for Ukraine. More cities are under huge threat and will fall under Russian control in the near future. Predicting the future you say? No. Just keeping up with how the battlefield is going (unlike you) and it's not going well for Ukraine.

Overstated. 440km²

 

Nov. 18 update: In the past four weeks (Oct. 21–Nov. 18, 2025), Russia forces gained 169 square miles of Ukrainian territory, an increase over the 128 square miles it gained over the previous four-week period (Sept. 23–Oct. 21, 2025). In the past week, Nov. 11–18, 2025, Russia has gained 37 square miles of Ukraine’s territory, a decrease from the previous week’s gain of 59 square miles.

 

Not much on an 800 mile front

18 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

Overstated. 440km²

 

Nov. 18 update: In the past four weeks (Oct. 21–Nov. 18, 2025), Russia forces gained 169 square miles of Ukrainian territory, an increase over the 128 square miles it gained over the previous four-week period (Sept. 23–Oct. 21, 2025). In the past week, Nov. 11–18, 2025, Russia has gained 37 square miles of Ukraine’s territory, a decrease from the previous week’s gain of 59 square miles.

 

Not much on an 800 mile front

How many dead Russians/NK troops per sq km? 

54 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

More propaganda above. 

Russia is not capable of winning this war on the battlefield and neither is Ukraine.

How many years has it been in what was an SMO that was supposed to be over in days or weeks?

Propaganda? Interesting comment. Even the Ukranian MOD maps which are well behind what's going on show what I stated.

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

Again your knowlege (or lack thereof) of the doctrine of attritional warfare is on show. As for tiny gains capturing Pokrovsk and operationally (possibly physically now) surrounding Mynorhad aren't tiny gains.

Your hero Putin has made a complete cock-up of his Ukraine invasion, and YOU know it.

 

You, continually make excuses for Trump and Putin on here, I wonder why, it is so embarrassing......😬

14 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Be interesting to know. I would think that many questions directed at the current press secretary would be about the massive scandal surrounding Zylensky..

Oooooh, you're an insider now.....................😆..................🤣

 

Do you have a red hammer and sickle flag flying at your place...................😒

18 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Agree. The EU is more about weakening Russia than saving Ukraine.

 

Why would the EU feel the need to weaken Russia? It posed/ poses no economic threat to the EU.

49 minutes ago, RayC said:

 

Why would the EU feel the need to weaken Russia? It posed/ poses no economic threat to the EU.

It's a proxy war. The EU wants to militarly and economically weaken the Russian state. If anything on the military side Russia has strenghtened it's military from what it was in 2022.

Just now, dinsdale said:

It's a proxy war. The EU wants to militarly and economically weaken the Russian state. If anything on the military side Russia has strenghtened it's military from what it was in 2022.

 

That doesn't answer the real question.

 

Russia poses no economic threat to the EU, so the threat must be militarily. If this threat isn't real, why would the EU need to address it? Paranoia? And why now? 

4 minutes ago, RayC said:

 

That doesn't answer the real question.

 

Russia poses no economic threat to the EU, so the threat must be militarily. If this threat isn't real, why would the EU need to address it? Paranoia? And why now? 

Russia is an energy giant in the region.

1 hour ago, RayC said:

 

Why would the EU feel the need to weaken Russia? It posed/ poses no economic threat to the EU.

 

Because there isn't enough room in the world for several Clans,Tribes,Kingdoms,Nations,Empires or Confederations.

 

There never has been........it's the way of the world.

 

Current situation has demonstrated how relatively weak Russia is.......its thrown everything "conventional" in, but been fought to near standstill by "little" Ukraine.

 

It would not take much more to throw Russia right back on its heels.

 

Too good an opportunity to miss for the West.